White Hair
by alterego94
Summary: During the fight with Mizuki, something happens. The short exposure to Kyuubi's chakra alters Naruto's dormant genes, making them more dominant and unlocking his Bloodlimit. But how will Kimimaro react when he recieves word that another Kaguya lives?
1. Kaguya Blood

**Summary: **Something changed in Naruto after the fight with Mizuki. The exposure to Kyuubi's altered his dormant genes, making them more dominant and unlocking his bloodline. After, when Naruto's hair starts losing its color and wierd things happen during his genin test , the Third knows what he has to do. He sends a message to the last remaining member of Naruto's clan, the only one that can help him control his new abilities. But how will Kimimaro react when he finds out that he has living family?

A/N: I had to change the summary a bit, just because I wanted to integrate a few things into the story that I couldn't have before.

Extra A/N: I know some of you are probably confused with me trying to post this story FOUR times. But for those of you that tried this story earlier, you'll know that when you tried to read it, the screen would pop up that said, "story could not be found," or whatever. Anyway, here's the story.

**Disclaimer: **Don't own Naruto, and never will. But if I could I would force Kishimoto to get his head outta his ass and write somethin' decent again.

**White Hair  
By: alterego94  
****Chapter One:  
**_**Blood Of The Kaguya**_

Naruto stumbled into the crappy hotel building that he lived in. He was tired and full. He had just come back from ramen with Iruka, celebrating Naruto's victory over Mizuki. Iruka was still injured, but had insisted on eating ramen with Naruto. The hospital staff wasn't happy about it, especially since he was going out with the "Demon brat", but they eventually caved.

Now though Naruto was starting to regret eating so much ramen, a first for the blonde ninja. His stomach felt like it was going to explode and it was burning like hell, too.

He made it up the stairs and fumbled with his keys, ignoring the profanities written all over the door, he turned the knob and walked in. He was able to make it to the bed but not much further. He barely tugged off his orange jumpsuit before he climbed into bed.

Naruto pulled up the covers and shivered under his blanket. _Why am I so cold?_ he thought, making sure that he was completely covered by the blanket. He finally gave up and just tried to get to sleep.

It took several hours of shivering before Naruto was able to fall asleep, the gnawing pain of his stomach was the last thing that he felt as he drifted into unconsciousness.

* * *

The Kyuubi growled. Something was happening to the boy. The sewer that had once held the nine tails had turned a pale white, and seemed to be more solid than before. The Fox snarled and swiped at the cages. The prison rattled but didn't budge.

Suddenly a wall of white came crashing down, covering the whole front of the Kyuubi's cage. The Fox's eye's widened, he had seen this before, but this was much more advanced. This was self-defensive...

The nine tails grinned.

This could be to his advantage.

* * *

Naruto woke up in the morning with the biggest headache of his life. He groaned and held his forehead with one hand as he stood up. He barely registered that his stomach wasn't hurting anymore.

The blond pulled his jumpsuit on and stepped into his small living room. He sat down on a chair and slowly started to gain his bearings. He blinked when he remembered the fight with Mizuki. He hadn't had anytime to think about it last night, he had been too happy about finally becoming a genin. But now...

He tentatively rested a hand on his naval.

Could there really be a demon inside of him?

He frowned at that thought. It would make sense. The way the villagers treated him, the way everyone always either avoided him or did anything in their power to hurt him. He sighed and stood up. He needed some ramen.

Naruto pulled out a package from the cupboard and set on some water the boil before returning to his seat.

The blond sunk back into depression as his thoughts drifted back to Iruka. _It's my fault he's hurt. If I had only killed that bastard Mizuki before he had a chance to hurt him,_He gripped the chair. It was his fault. He could've used Kage Bunshin at the very beginning of the fight, but he had froze. The killer intent the Chuunin teacher had used had glued him to the spot, and almost cost Iruka a life. _Just a few more inches either way_, the doctors had said, _and it would have pierced a vital organ and there would be nothing we could do._

_It's my fault,_Naruto frowned, he knew that he had been completely drained of chakra by the time Mizuki had showed up, and he couldn't have used Kage Bunshin. He was just fooling himself. _Then why could I do it later?_

The whole time he had been practicing the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu he had never been able to make more than thirty clones. But after Iruka had gotten hit by the shuriken, he had been able to make a thousand, after he had already been drained of chakra.

How?

This had the boy stumped, until he happened to glance down at his belly. He put a hand on it again. Could the demon had given him power? Now that he thought about it, he _had_felt different when he had used Kage Bunshin against Mizuki. He had felt... well, powerful. He scowled, why would the demon give him power?

Unless... had he drawn it out himself?

The whistling of the tea kettle brought him out of his thoughts. The blonde walked back into the kitchen and poured the water into his ramen bowl. He cursed as he tried to take a bite and burnt his tongue. He set the bowl on the counter as he went into the bathroom to take a shower as it cooled.

He walked into the bathroom and slipped off his orange jumpsuit once again, setting it on the toilet as he prepared to turn the water on. As he reached into the shower however, he managed to catch a glimpse of himself in the mirror stationed above his bathtub.

"Ack!" He let out as he touched his forehead. There were two red dots on his forehead! Naruto frantically got the soap bar out of the shower and tried futilely to scrub the red things off.

_What the hell? _The blond squinted at the mirror. The dots were placed right above his eyebrows, perfectly symmetrical and a fiery red. He reached up and pinched the dot that was resting above his right eyebrow. "Ouch!" he yelped as pain shot through his head. He now knew what was causing his headache. He scowled at his reflection for a few more moments before he made a decision.

He jumped into the shower and turned the water on, nearly hitting the roof as a cold blast hit him. Naruto almost leaped out off the bathtub until he remembered that the water had to heat up before he got in. He felt like smacking himself, how did he forget that?

He let out a sigh of relief as the water warmed up to a comfortable temperature. He quickly grabbed the shampoo and started to rub it in his hair. He had to take quick showers, if he used too much water the landlord would cut him off.

As Naruto ran his hands through his hair, he felt something off. His hair felt different, a little less thick than it usually was, and a less knotted than his usual, unruly blond locks were. He passed it off as his imagination and started to rub the spots above his eyebrows. But as he looked back at the mirror he groaned when he saw that all he had accomplished was to irritate the skin around the dots making two big red sores on his forehead.

Naruto shut the water off and tried himself with a towel. Making sure that he was totally dry, he put on his jumpsuit and walked back into the kitchen where his cold ramen sat on the counter. All of his fussing in the bathroom must have taken longer than he thought. He glanced at the clock and his eyes widened.

Nine o'clock!

Quickly he stuffed as much ramen into his mouth as he could before he ran to the window. He almost leaped out when he remembered his headband. Racing into his room, he swiped the Hitai-ate off the night stand and tied it on, making sure it covered _all_ of his forehead, including the mysterious red dots.

Checking himself over in the mirror once, he ran to the window and leaped out onto the neighboring building. He quickly leaped off of this one also, landing on the next. As he continued jumping from rooftop to rooftop he noticed something. He could barely feel any presure on his legs when he hit the next building! It was like he was just hopping up and down instead of leaping ten feet into the air.

He was so preoccupied with this discovery, that he nearly ran into the Academy before he noticed it. He grinned, jumping off the rooftop. He ran through the open doorway and down the hall until he got to Iruka's classroom.

Naruto hoped he hadn't missed hearing the team arrangements! He gripped the knob and swung the door open, just as Iruka was starting to anounce the first team. The Chuunin stopped midsentence when Naruto walked in and shot him a dirty look.

Naruto gave him a grin and walked up to his seat. He was mildly suprised to see Iruka here, he didn't think those old harpies would ever let him leave the hospital. He sat down and tried to listened as Iruka anounced the teams.

As hard as he tried, Naruto couldn't keep his mind off of the two crimson dots that now decorated his brow. He had no idea where they came from and he had no idea how he was going to get rid of them. He could henge over them, but any chuunin could see through his weak jutsu.

He scowled. He would have to ask Sarutobi about it.

Naruto rubbed his forearm. It had started to feel sore on the way to the academy and was starting to become an annoyance. The blonde was starting to worry about all the pains he had been getting lately. He had a headache and had found out he had dots on his forehead, did that mean that he would grow little round crimson dots on his arms?

He _very_ quickly shoved that particular thought away.

Shuddering he just barely caught the mention of Sakura's name. Like the admirer that he was, the blond quickly glanced up at Iruka, willing him to call his name. Iruka cleared his throat before he called the next name.

"...Uzumaki Naruto..."

Yes! He almost jumped up and down. He was with Sakura! He would finally get her to go out to dinner with him. The boy's estatic moment didn't last long however, as Iruka called the second name.

"...Uchiha Sasuke..."

Naruto grin instantly was gone off of his face. Why did that teme have to be on Sakura and his team? He sighed. If that stupid Uchiha wasn't on the team he would...what? The blond admitted that he didn't know what he would do.

Sakura had to like him didn't she? Then again, she never had accepted any of his offers. She had never been overly nice to him. Come to think of it, she had never even said hello to him unless prompted to do so by himself.

The more he thought of it, the more he realised that he had never had a chance with Sakura anyway, she wouldn't give him the time of day.

Naruto half grinned, he had been thinking about things a lot. Then again, the incident with Mizuki had taught him that he should think things over beforehand. He had just waltzed into the Hokage office and stole a scroll that had been locked in the back, not even thinking about what his teacher had told him. He should have known that they wouldn't have another test for those that failed. If they did, it certainly wouldn't involve breaking into the Hokage office.

It was now drilled into his head that he would think things through from now on. That meant that he wouldn't pursue hopeless things anymore, like Sakura. Or being _Hokage... _This thought was shoved away. Of course he could be Hokage, it was his dream...

"Oi, dobe! Your awful quiet today, shouldn't you be at home anyway? You failed the test don't you remember?" The Uchiha prodigy decided to harass the blond.

Naruto opened his mouth to respond, but noticed that, besides himself, Sasuke and Sakura were the only ones in the room. "Hey, teme, where's everyone else?" he asked.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at the boy, "They all left with their sensei, we're the only ones left."

Naruto blinked. "Where's our sensei?"

The Uchiha shrugged and turned back to stare at the door. Sakura sighed and muttered something about late people and castration, but Naruto ignored her and grinned mischeviously. He wanted to be late did he?

Naruto bounded to the door and slid a chair over to it. He grabbed the eraser off the chalkboard and stood up on the chair. He was about to set the eraser up on the door when, Sakura asked,

"What are you doing, Naruto?"

Naruto opened his mouth to speak, but after thinking it over, he stepped off the chair and let the eraser drop to the floor. If he truly wanted to become Hokage he wouldn't be as stupid to piss off his sensei on the first day. "Nothing..."

He walked back to his seat and sat down.

He hadn't sat down for five seconds when the door opened and a silver haired jounin walked in. Naruto rose an eyebrow at his appearance. The man had a black mask covering the lower half of his face and his Hitai-ate was worn crooked to cover his left eye. He glanced up at them lazily and gave a short, "Yo!" he looked over them for a second and Naruto suspected that he was sizing them up, seeing what his genin would be like this year.

"Meet me on the roof." he said simply and poofed out of the room.

Sasuke 'hn'ed and headed up the stairs, Sakura following him like a lost puppy. Naruto snorted and walked out the door. Once he got on the roof he saw the others waiting for him.

"Hurry up, Naruto!"

Naruto shook his head at Sakura's scolding. He was finally seeing how she really treated him.

Like shit.

* * *

Naruto crouched in the bushes. His sensei was currently standing in the clearing ahead of him, reading that damnable book again. Despite the jounin's helpless look the man was really quite capable. Sasuke was in front of the man, buried up to his neck by an earth jutsu and the jounin had also decapitated Sakura with a minor Genjutsu.

The blond rubbed his arm again. The damn thing was driving him borderline insane. It was burning like crazy and every now and then he'd have sharp pains in the palm of his hand, like someone in there was trying to hack their way out with a knife.

Returning to the situation at hand, he had come to a realisation.

Naruto had no clue how he was going to do this.

The test was to get the bells away from the jounin -- whose name was now revealed as Kakashi -- but Sasuke had barely touched them, and as much as Naruto hated to admit it, but the Uchiha really was a better ninja than him.

Naruto sighed.

Kakashi throughout the whole fight with Sasuke had never taken his nose out of his book and had displayed speed that Naruto knew he couldn't match. He glanced at the pond that was settled right behind the silver haired ninja.

A grin spread across his face as a plan formed in his head.

After he had made his preparations, Naruto stepped out of the brush and into the clearing. The jounin glanced lazily up from his book, but otherwise showed no signs of moving. Naruto sighed and steeled himself, before he charged.

He lashed out with a fist that Kakashi caught with his free hand. Kakashi then drove his knee into Naruto's gut, making the genin gasp for air. "You're really slow" he commented as he took a step back.

Naruto grinned, "And you're really stupid."

Just then ten Kage Bunshin came flying out of the pond behind Kakashi, letting loose a hail of kunai. Kakashi was able to dodge, but barely. By the time he had regained his bearings, Naruto was upon him and reaching a hand out to grab the bells.

The silver haired jounin leapt back, creating some distance.

Naruto growled.

He still had that damn book.

Kakashi glanced at him. "Is that all that you have?"

The blond glared and made a few seals. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" There was a poof of smoke and where Naruto had once stood there was now twenty clones, all of them charging Kakashi.

The jounin dodged a punch, but then had to instantly duck below a kick. One Naruto threw a kunai that connected with his back, before he turned into a log. The clones stopped attacking and looked around. He wasn't anywhere in the clearing as far as they could see.

One of the clones pointed in the middle of the crowd. "Hey, look at that," he pointed again at the small white piece of paper on the ground, "That looks like a..."

The explosive tag chose just then to ignite, destroying all but five of the Naruto's. After the smoke from the blast cleared, there was Kakashi, leaning against a stump, staring at Naruto boredly. The silver haired jounin yawned into his hand.

Naruto scowled and ran forward, sweeping out with his legs, Kakashi easily dodged and caught Naruto's wild follow up punch at the wrist. The silver haired man quickly had to let go, however, as a left hook came searching for his face.

The blonde tried to roundhouse kick the jounin, but it was easily blocked with the man's spare forearm.

This seemed only served to infuriate the blonde even more. Nothing was working! He had thought that his Kage Bunshin trick would have at least gotten him a bell, but it hadn't even fazed the lazy ninja in front of him.

Naruto lashed out with his fist, but this time he over extended and Kakashi kicked his feet out from under him. He slammed into the hard ground and it took him a few minutes to get up again. When he was finally standing straight up he sent his sensei a fierce glare.

This test was impossible!

Naruto almost charged again, but thought better of it. He would just waste time and energy. If only there was someone else... His eyes widened, but he quickly covered it up. Sasuke was just on the edge of the clearing , if he could distract Kakashi long enough, he might be able to get over there and bury him out.

Naruto grinned at his sensei, before running towards the treeline.

* * *

Kakashi was internally frowning.

So far his new team had been pretty unimpressive. Sasuke was a loner, and wouldn't ask anyone for help. Sakura was a fangirl and was more concerned about her make up then about being a shinobi. And Naruto...

Well, he didn't know what to think of Naruto. The boy had determination. And he had constructed a nice pincer maneuver by hiding his clones in the pond behind him and coming in from the front. But from what Kakashi could see, he had next to no taijutsu skills, knew no other jutsu besides Kage Bunshin, and heavily favored headlong rushes, something that will get you killed in Anbu, or even jounin missions.

But the blond had actually taken a hit in order to get his plan done. Sure, it had been a weak hit, not even using a fraction of Kakashi's real strength, but still, the boy had what it took to be a ninja.

If only he could figure out the purpose of the test...

Then he saw the blonde's eyes flicker over to Sasuke for a minute, before he ran off to the trees.. Kakashi grinned. He might finally be able to pass a team...

* * *

Ten Narutos suddenly leaped out of the trees surrounding the clearing, bearing down on Kakashi from above. The copy nin ducked and weaved and managed to avoid all the clones, that is, until one of the clones substituted himself with a log that was sitting behind Kakashi, getting him directly behind the jounin.

Kakashi suddenly felt arms close around him from behind, making him unable to dodge the mob of clones that were charging at him. The first Bunshin landed a kick to the man's chin, snapping his head back, only for the jounin to burst into smoke.

All the Kage Bunshins were suddenly dispelled as the real Naruto took a hit to the face.

"What the hell, teme! What was that for?"

Sasuke glared, "I could've gotten out myself."

Naruto snorted, "Yeah, sure. You were only sitting there for twenty minutes!"

"Dobe, I could've..."

the Uchiha was cut off as him and Naruto were suddenly swept up in a net. It pulled them up off the ground and they dangled there, helpless. Kakashi jumped down from the tree above the net, smiling at them as he pulled out his book.

"You two get along quite well." He drawled.

Naruto grinned and Kakashi stiffened, that was the same look he'd had before...

Naruto and Sasuke suddenly burst into smoke.

_Kage Bunshin!_

"_Katon:Gokakyu no Jutsu!_" Kakashi barely rolled out of the way before the fireball flew past, singing his hair. Unfortunately for him, he rolled right towards a hail of kunai thrown by five Naruto's up in a tree. The jounin leaped out of the way, having to knock one of the projectiles away with his hand.

The jounin was still in the air when Sasuke attacked with a flurry of punches. Kakashi blocked all of them, having to put his book away to do so. When the copy nin finally landed, he was assaulted by Sasuke and Naruto, the Uchiha using taijutsu and the blond throwing kunai.

Despite the onslaught of attacks, Kakashi showed no signs of slowing down, and he could tell that they were tiring. _If only they had one more person helping_, he thought. The copy nin leaned backwards to avoid a spinning kick from Sasuke and grabbed the kunai that would have impaled his chest with his right hand, sending it flying back at Naruto, who -- to Kakashi's suprise -- burst into smoke.

_Another Kage Bunshin? But then where's the real..._The jounin's eyes widened when he took a step backwards and felt a thin wire snap against the back of his heel. The nin rolled instinctively to the right and avoided the rain of kunai that came down from above. He stood up and had to avoid another fireball from Sasuke by leaping to the right.

_The real Naruto's been setting traps while his clone has been tricking me. I've been so absorbed into dodging their attacks that I failed to notice the switch, they could pretty much do anything now, I have no idea where Naruto is... But then again, _he looked at Sasuke, who was bent over trying to recover some energy. _Sasuke's almost completely drained of chakra, and seeing all those Kage Bunshin Naruto has made, he has to be nearing his limit as well..._

Naruto jumped down from the trees and landed in front of Kakashi. The copy nin shook his head and sighed, "Naruto," he started, "You do know that you just ruined a perfect opportunity to catch me by suprise?"

The boy smiled, "Yep," he threw a kunai off to his right, cutting a rope that had been concealed in the brush.

Kakashi's eyes widened and he tried to dodge, but this time the infamous copy ninja was a little too slow. The loop that he had been standing in caught his ankles and tightened, lifting him off the ground.

"Yeah!" Naruto cheered. "We finally got you!"

Sasuke grunted at the other boy's enthusiasm, but inside he was smirking. If he was able to catch this jounin off guard, then his skills were improving, and that meant he was that much closer to Itachi.

Kakashi smiled at them, "I must say I'm impressed, you two work really well together, however," he paused, looking them over, "You still haven't gotten the bells, and while you've been patting yourselves on the back, you've given me time to escape." The jounin suddenly disappeared in smoke, leaving only the dangling rope where he had been.

Naruto's jaw dropped. They'd had him! His fists clenched as his anger grew. _Damn that Kakashi, nothing fucking works against him!_

There was a sudden thump next to Naruto, and he groaned when he saw Sasuke unconscious on the ground, his chakra exhaustion finally getting the best of him. _Damn teme, some Uchiha prodigy, he can't even handle a little fight._

Kakashi appeared in front of Naruto with a swirl of leaves. He glanced at Sasuke and smiled, "Well, Naruto, it looks like your out of luck, you guys have failed the test, looks like you won't ever be a real ninja."

Naruto scowled, "Whaddaya mean we failed, I'm still standing and I can still get those damn bells!"

Kakashi glanced at him skeptically, or at least, it looked like skepticism, it was hard to tell with his face. "Naruto, you have just graduated the Academy, and were the dead-last of your group. I am one of the strongest _jounin _in Konoha. If I was another Academy student like Sasuke, then you might have a chance. You and Sasuke together couldn't do it, and I was only using a fraction of my real abilities. You have failed the test, because without your teammates, you can't beat me. I guess you won't be Hokage after all."

Naruto put his head down, his bangs covering his eyes. Blood dripped down his clenched fists as his fingernails bit into the skin of his palm. "Dead-last, huh? Well I show you who's dead-last, YOU BASTARD!!"

Kakashi's eyes widened as Naruto charged, much faster than ever before. The boy swung a fist, Kakashi blocked it with the palm of his hand, but marveled at the force behind it. The boy was fighting like he was still fresh, nothing showed of the drained and tired boy that had been standing before him, now there was just a raging storm of flying punches and vicious kicks.

Naruto didn't know what it was that pissed him off, if it was his sensei's smug attitude, his denial that Naruto's dream would ever come true, or just failing the test in general. But something had clicked, and now he was pressing the attack, forcing his sensei to block his punches, and not giving him time to counter-attack. He would wipe that smug look off of his face.

But no matter how hard he tried, or how hard he pushed, he could never break through the jounin's guard. The blond gritted his teeth as another solid kick was knocked away and then a left hook.

"GODDAMNIT!" Naruto threw a punch with his right hand, the hardest so far. Kakashi blankly caught the arm by it's wrist. Naruto suddenly fell to his knees as a stabbing pain resounded through his arm.

His Hand! Oh, Kami his hand. He could feel it. Something was pushing it's way out, no _forcing_ it's way out, and it felt like some one had stabbed a katana down the length of his arm and then poured salt water down the wound.

Deep inside his naval, Kyuubi grinned.

Kakashi gained a concerned look when Naruto suddenly collapsed to the ground in pain. The copy nin was still holding his arm, and he could feel the muscles tightening and contracting.

When the boy screamed out in pain, Kakashi froze. He had never heard the boy make a peep when hurt. When Kakashi was in the Anbu, he was the one that had always found the boy being beaten by the villagers, one time he had been impaled by one of the local farmers pinchforks, he was only six years old at the time and had never made a peep as the hospital staff had removed it.

He had been beaten mercilessly and had never made a sound, taking it all with a defiant look on his face.

But now...

* * *

Naruto screamed again as another surge of pain racked his body. He had never felt anything like this before. He had been attacked and hurt in every way imaginable by the villagers, they had even placed a bucket of sulfuric acid above the door in his apartment so that when he walked in it dumped on him. He was in the hospital for a whole week after, the longest he'd ever been in one.

But that had felt like nothing compared to this.

He felt the muscles in his arm convulse, and something almost as thick as his wrist came shooting out of his arm. The thing was razor sharp and it had shot out before Kakashi could react.

There was a thump.

Blood was spilt.

* * *

A/N: Well this is the first chapter in White Hair. Pretty much a teaser chapter, I probably won't post another chapter for a while, unless I have recently updated my stories and I have lots of extra time. Obviously, this story is going to be AU, very much so, I might add. This doesn't mean that I will skip major arcs however, but I probably will skip most of the fillers, since I haven't read or watched hardly any of those.

You may have noticed that Naruto is a little angsty in this chapter. Well, quite a bit angsty. And some of you may think that is unrealistic considering his character early in the Anime/Manga. Well I always thought it was a little wierd when, after the fight with Mizuki, it never majorly affected his personality or even his attitude. I don't know about you but if I found out I had a Demon in my stomach I would kinda freak.

And before any of you ask, no Kakashi is not dead, and yes Naruto's Kekkai Genkai _is _Shikotsumyaku and not something else.

The pairing's kinda up for grabs. Tell me who you think and I'll consider it, but no yaoi, okay? You may notice that at the top that this story is a Naruto and Kimimaro story, but that space up their is for the main characters, NOT for pairings.

The next chap. will probably show Kimimaro, but don't think that he'll see Naruto and just like him because he's his only living famiy, no. To keep it realistic he'll see Naruto as a "trash" shinobi, and make it his responsiblity to train him, so that his clan, and him, don't look weak because of some blond idiot that has Shikotsumyaku. Sorry for the spoiler.

Anyway, see ya next time.

alterego94


	2. Heritage

**Summary: **Something changed in Naruto after the fight with Mizuki. The exposure to Kyuubi's altered his dormant genes, making them more dominant and unlocking his bloodline. After, when Naruto's hair starts losing its color and wierd things happen during his genin test , the Third knows what he has to do. He sends a message to the last remaining member of Naruto's clan, the only one that can help him control his new abilities. But how will Kimimaro react when he finds out that he has living family?

A/N:Well, this chapter is out sooner than I expected. Much sooner. The reason for this is because the next update will likely be a while from now, longer than I had originally planned. This isn't the only story, with all other stories besides Fall of a Hero and Past to Present, will also have rare updates. It's not because I've lost inspiration, actually, it's the opposite. I have tons of inspiration for this story and for Shinobi of the Rock, but I severely do not want to abandon my two other major stories. So, as suggested by another author, I will try to finish those stories quickly. This will serve two purposes. The first is that I'll get some writing practice, and allow me to write better when I come back to these stories, and the second is that I get to focus more on these stories without the extra work of two stories. And after this long wait, you will eventually get pretty frequent updates(for me at least) and hopefully better quality chapters.

One more thing. I upped Kimimaro's age a few years (eight to be specific), for convenience purposes, and because sometimes I have a hard time believing he was only fifteen years old when he fought Gaara. This also opens up opportunities for pairings with the older women, like Anko or Kurenai. If you don't like it, sorry, but if you flame me about it, I'll ignore you. It's an AU story. Deal with it.

**White Hair  
By: alterego94  
****Chapter Two:  
**_**Heritage  
**_

Sarutobi rubbed his temples as he dejectedly stared at the mountain of paperwork that had decided to position itself on his desk. Really, the man that had created the dreadful thing called paper had to be directly related to Satan himself.

Or at least that was the Sandaime's thoughts. What other logical reason was there for something so horrible to exist in this world?

The age worn Hokage took a puff from his pipe, blowing the foul smelling smoke out with a slow wheeze as he stared out the window, forgetting the less... rewarding duty of being Hokage as his thoughts drifted to his favorite blonde.

Naruto would be taking his genin exam today. Well, he was probably close to finishing now, and Sarutobi was concerned about him keeping his status as a shinobi of Konoha.

If Naruto had been on any other team, with any other sensei, Sarutobi wouldn't have given a second thought to the idea of him not passing, but he wasn't on just _any_ team with _any _sensei, he was on the same team as his crush and his rival, and with Naruto that was just asking for trouble. Not only that, but he was on _Hatake Kakashi'_s team, the man that had turned down some of the most prodigial genin Konoha had ever produced because they hadn't passed his test.

And, to add to his worries, Iruka had come in earlier that morning, after the teams had been announced. He had reported that Naruto had been acting strange. Those who knew the blonde boy would expect him to be estatic to finally be a genin of the leaf, it was the first step on the way to his dream of being Hokage. But Iruka had reported that the boy had been late for class -- not that this was unusual, but one would expect a little more punctuality on such an important occation -- and that he had been reserved through the listing of team assignments, staring off into space or absently tugging at his newly aquired headband that now rested on his forehead.

The last thing Iruka had said was that the boy had made no visible reaction to being placed on the same genin unit as Haruno Sakura and Uchiha Sasuke.

This greatly worried the Hokage.

There was not a time that he had visited Naruto that the boy was not going on and on about the pink haired girl. He was always saying how great his 'Sakura-chan' was and how he hated the 'Uchiha-teme'.

Sarutobi sighed and stuffed some more tobacco into his pipe, relighting it after it was subsequently filled with the ill-scented substance.

He only had a change to take one puff before one Hatake Kakashi walked through his door -- without knocking.

Sarutobi noted that the copy nin was missing the orange covered book that usually occupied his attentions, and blinked when he noticed that there was a deep gash across the man's cheek. The old Hokage grinned.

"I take it that your genin had some suprises for you, eh, Kakashi?"

The silver haired nin glanced up at the Hokage with a serious look, somewhat out of place concidering his usual lazy complexion. "I... guess you could say that," he said, albeit a little shakily.

Sarutobi raised a questioning eyebrow and Kakashi explained, " I certainly didn't expect this," he touched the side of his cheek through his ripped mask, his fingers coming back crimson, "If that's what you were refering to."

The Hokage was curious, "Did they pass?"

Kakashi paused conciderately for a moment, before replying.

"Yes, I suppose they did, though the circumstances in which they did are somewhat... odd." After recieving another inquisitive glance from the Hokage, he decided to get straight to the point, "The boy... Uzumaki Naruto," here he recieved a nod, encouraging him to go on. "Well... he has something that I haven't seen since before Kirigakure started it's bloodline purge..."

The man paused, noticing the wide eyed look the Hokage now wore.

"I assume that you know who the boy's parents were, Hokage-sama, so could you please explain to me why the container of the Kyuubi has Shikotsumyaku, the Kekkei Genkai of the Kaguya clan?"

Sarutobi sighed once again.

"Do the other members of his team know about this?"

Kakashi shook his head, "No, they had been incapitated by the time it had been revealed. Uchiha Sasuke suffered from mild chakra exhaustion, I dropped him off on the way here. And I escorted Sakura home."

Sandaime frowned. "And what of Naruto?"

"He went home... he looked a little shaken up, said he needed to get some sleep."

The Hokage closed his eyes and exhaled some of his pipe-smoke, before adressing the copy nin.

"Kakashi-san, what I am about to tell you has been a closely guarded secret, only two people are still living that know of it. This is beyond S-class information, and I hope that you will not tell this to anyone, or I will personally see to it that your status as a Konoha ninja is revoked and that you are banished from the village of Konohagakure, do I make myself clear?"

Kakashi's eye widened slightly, but he hesitantly nodded.

"Good, then." Sarutobi rested his elbows on his desk, intertwining his fingers. "Well, I am sure you know the history of the Kaguya clan's demise?"

Kakashi nodded his head, "I know that they had attacked Kirigakure in an attempt to stop the extermination of their clan and were killed by a large scale assault, lead by the Mizukage himself."

"Ahh, that barely scratches the surface of it." Sarutobi poured himself a glass of water from the jug he kept beside his desk, offering Kakashi one also, who politely refused. Quenching his thirst, the Hokage continued. " You are correct in saying that the Kaguya clan attacked Kirigakure, and that the bloodline purge was _part_ of the reason."

"I don't understand, Hokage-sama."

The Sandaime shook his head lightly, "I would expect not, it is not common information, but the Kaguya clan head, Kaguya Hikyuu, was partially insane during the end of his reign. He ruled much as the late Uchihas did, but he had the Kaguyas raised to be much fiercier than any precedented clan, even the Uchiha or the Hyuuga.

"Hikyuu had all Kaguya men trained to fight from the age of five, and any women that could not pull their weight as ninja were slaughtered. It was harsh, but it effectively did just what Hikyuu wanted, it turned the Kaguya clan into an army, and with their bloodline, they wiped out many minor villages that wouldn't surrender to their might.

"You see, after Kaguya Hikyuu started his tyrancy, the Kaguya clan was plunged headfirst into wars that they had no desire to be in, their leader lead them into a battle field and basically left them to fight for their lives. This strategy was greatly despised by the Kaguya, as many women and children were killed in the confusion, and sometimes the warriors couldn't tell the difference between friend and foe, often killing comrades as well as enemies. But, with this 'Hands On' tactic, the Kaguya grew to be one of the most feared people on the face of the planet, a threat even to most ninja villages, proven by their conquest over southern Water Country.

"Sometime around this point, Hikyuu had found himself a wife. Well, more accurately, _elected_ himself a wife. The woman, or should I say girl as she was only eighteen years of age, had no say in the matter and when she tried to resist she was threatened with torture, and even death.

"After a year or so, Hikyuu and his wife had a son, the next heir to the throne you would say. Many thought that having a child would soften the cold hearted clan head, and stop his tirade. Needless to say, they were wrong. Having a child did not affect Hikyuu's cold hearted nature in the least. From the moment his son could walk he was trained, against his wife's will, I might add, and a decade or so later -- after several more wars -- Hikyuu had successfully turned his son into the perfect living, breathing weapon."

The Sandaime paused for a moment, letting Kakashi soak that in. The copy nin had absolutely no idea where this was going, but he decided to be patient and wait to hear what the old Hokage had to say.

After a minute's silence, Sarutobi continued.

"Hikyuu's son was seen as a prodigy among the Kaguya, not a small feat concidering their skills as shinobi. The boy was locked up by his own father by the time he was ten years old, only brought out to destroy the rare enemy that managed to put some pressure on the clan. By the time this boy was thirteen, he had taken more lives than most of the jounin in Konoha, including you Kakashi.

"It was a around this time when the Kaguya clan was suffering from population issues, the side effect of their war living existence. By this time Hikyuu was old and weak, but far from fragile. When he heard of Kirigakure's bloodline purge he ordered an all out attack on the village.

"Many believe that if the Kaguya clan had not been so far from the greatness they once had been, that they would have won the battle, and destroyed Kirigakure. But as it was, the Kaguya's army was depleted and though they fought valantly, they were eventually defeated, crushed beneath the might of Kiri."

Sarutobi set his tabacco-less pipe on the table and held up his forefingers. "There were only two survivors, Hikyuu's son, who's location had been a mystery until recently, and his wife, who fled to Whirlpool country, changing her name and hiding among the relatively peaceful natives.

"There she stayed for two whole years, and when Whirlpool was wiped out she fled once again, this time stumbling deep into the woods. A traveling merchant found her outside a few miles outside our gates and brought her here, where she met the Yondaime; who had just become Hokage at that time..."

Kakashi's eyes widened, "But that would mean that Naruto's...?"

The Hokage nodded.

"Uzumaki Naruto is the son of Namikaze Minato, Fourth Hokage of Konohagakure, and Uzumaki Kushina, formerly known as _Kaguya_ Kushina."

"Holy shit."

* * *

Naruto closed the door to his apartment with a small click as the lock swung into place. The blonde flipped the lightswitch on and walked over to his bedroom, falling backwards onto the matress and staring absently at the ceiling.

Resting his right arm across his chest he heaved a great sigh and brought his left hand up into his view. In it he held a three foot long, two inch thick piece of white... _something_.

His first thought would be to call it a bone, but that couldn't be right. Who ever heard of someone's bone shooting out of their arm? Then again, they could've spoken about it during one of the Academy lectures. He had never really listened to those, he was usually either sleeping or planning his next prank while Iruka was teaching.

Now that he thought of it, he could vaguely remember something about people being born with special abilities, something called... Kikkoy? Kekika? He scowled, he could quite remember the name. He thought about it for a moment longer before snorting.

I_'ve been born with something, but it sure as hell ain't special! _He self-conciously rubbed his naval. _And besides, even if this is some kind of ability from it, I'll never use something that came from a fucking demon!_

Trying to quell his anger, he slowly stood up, grunting with the toll it took on his sore muscles. He hobbled to the bathroom and closed the door. Slipping his clothes off, he quietly walked over and turned the shower head on, this time remembering to wait a minute for the water to warm up.

Carefully stepping in, he closed the shower curtain and relished in the heat the hot water brought to his cramped muscles. The blond rolled his neck and stretched his arms above his head. Putting his hand out to lean on the shower wall, he stood in the relaxing warm water for a while longer before he started to wash himself, grabbing a bar of soap as he scrubbed his body.

After he felt he was sufficiently clean, he grabbed a bottle of shampoo, squirting a teaspoon sized glob onto his palm and smashed it into his hair, rubbing it in with his hands. As he ran his fingers through his hair, he once again noticed something off. His hair was usually mangy and unmanagable, he usually had difficulty cleaning his hair because of the fact that it was constantly knotting up.

But now, his fingers slid between the strands without resistance, the shampoo washing out easily instead of getting caught in the wire mesh that was usually his hair.

He turned, frowning to look in the mirrior, almost falling over when he saw his reflection.

When the hell had his hair gotten so... light colored? He hesitantly grabbed a lock of his hair, studying it. Kami, when he had left for the Academy that morning his hair had been it's usual dishwater blond, but now it resembled Ino's hair color! In fact, it was so light colored that the end of each strand of hair almost looked... white! He sneered at the thought that it almost made him look like that bastard Mizuki.

If that wasn't enough, Naruto almost smashed the stupid mirrior when he found that those annoying red dots hadn't disappeared off of his forehead.

He growled under his breath. "What the hell is happening to me, goddammit!?"

He stood there for another minute before a loud growl from his stomach alerted him of the absence of food in his belly. Turning off the water, he grabbed a towel wrapping it around his waist as he ambled into the kitchen. He had to get something to eat if he was going to be able to do anything.

Naruto strangely felt against having his usual favorite, so he skipped the instant ramen cupboard and opened the fridge, looking for something within it's meager contents. He finally grabbed a half-full carton of eggs, a few slices of cheese, and a large chunk of meat of some kind. He shrugged, it was probably a gift from the Hokage or something, the old man had been constantly been on him about his diet ever since he had become an Academy student.

He searched the cupboards and found a pan that wasn't too dirty. He turned his single-burner stove on low and set the pan on top of the burner, tossing in a small hunk of butter before returning to the counter to grab a pair of eggs, cracking them open and dumping the insides into the pan, also.

He sat down at the counter as the eggs cooked and checked the meat carefully. He hesitantly brought the chunk up to his nose and took a whiff. He blinked and shrugged. It smelled alright. He'd fry it up and see what happened.

Taking a kunai out of his pocket he twirled it around his finger twice, before bringing it to bear on the piece of meat. He started cutting them into thin slabs at first, but eventually started doing bigger ones because of the time it took to get little slices.

But with his distracted brain, and his haste in getting done, he wasn't quite as carefull as he usually would've been, and as he was trying to hack through an especially tough part of the meat, the kunai slipped.

Naruto didn't react fast enough to the sudden lack of resistance, and the kunai stabbed straight into the middle of his forearm.

"Shit!" he hissed. He quickly reached out for some papertowels to stop the incoming blood.

He was stopped however, but a loud clanging sound. Glacing back his eyes widened as he realised the kunai that he'd had was now on the floor of his kitchen. Taking a glance at his arm he was suprised to see a small puncture wound, about the size of the head of a thumbtack.

_What the hell_, he thought as he rubbed his hand over the hole in his arm, which was already healing up. _That should have cut halfway through my arm! Why did it stop so soon? It didn't even bleed!_

Naruto bent over and picked up the kunai, almost falling off of his chair when he saw that the tip of it was blunted. _I just sharpened all of these yesterday... what the fuck is going on?_

He scowled as he realised he didn't have an answer and filed it away to ask the Hokage about it later.

He didn't get a chance to ponder the issue further as the smell of burning eggs reached his nostrils. He was able to save them in time to still be edible, but it wasn't the best meal he'd ever had.

After he finished he stacked up the dishes beside the sink and walked into his bedroom.

He dropped his towel, slipping on a pair of boxers before climbing into his bed and succumbing to the welcoming hold of sleep.

* * *

"What will you do?"

The Hokage sighed in relief at the question. Kakashi had been ranting and raving about why he wasn't told, and what he would've done if he had been told, and what would've happened had the villagers been told. The Sandaime had been about ready to screw the title of Hokage and strangle the silver haired jounin regardless.

"Hmm, I would think that I would contact his relative next..."

Kakashi's eyes widened, "Hokage-sama, that Kaguya boy is a threat to the village, you can't possibly bring him here. And even if you could, the council would never allow it."

The Hokage smiled, "Leave the council to me."

Kakashi was still doubtful, "How are you going to get a hold of him, do you even know where he is?"

The Hokage rubbed his temples. "Yes, Kakashi, I know where Kimimaro -- that's the boy's name -- is. He had disappeared for a long time you know, but recently Jiraiya's spy network picked back up on him. However, his location is somewhat of a tricky subject, and it _would_ be risky to get a hold of him. But, if Naruto doesn't learn how to control that bloodlimit of his, he could end up killing somebody."

The copy nin nodded in agreement, before asking, "Where is this boy... Kimimaro, Hokage-sama?"

Sarutobi took a puff from his pipe, which hadn't been there a moment ago, and answered somewhat hesitantly. "...Jiraiya's spy network has been keeping tabs on Orochimaru lately, and it seems that he's starting to form a village... Otogakure I believe it's called. The Village hidden in the sound. It seems that Kimimaro joined Orocimaru shortly after the massacre, and is currently being held in Otogakure as Orochimaru's next vessel." the Hokage added with disgust.

Kakashi cocked an eyebrow at the Hokage, "How are you ever gonna get a message to him? And if you do, are you sure that he won't just relay that message to Orochimaru? He probably doesn't have the highest opinion of his family, concidering what you've told me."

Sarutobi nodded, "Yes, it will be tricky to get him to come, especially with the loyalty he shows the snake; however, it is a simple matter to get the message to him. And I already have a letter prepared." The Hokage dug out a scroll and held it up as if to prove it.

Kakashi was still shooting him a questioning look. The Hokage smiled, "I can't believe you haven't thought of it yet, Kakashi."

"Thought of what?"

Sarutobi smiled wider before biting his thumb hard, drawing blood. He rapidly made handseals, slamming his hands onto the floor he yelled, "_Kychiose no Jutsu_!" In a puff of smoke the monkey king Enma stood before them.

Enma observed the office for a moment before addressing the Hokage. "Sarutobi, what have you summoned me for?"

The aged Hokage grinned.

"Enma, I have a job for one of your monkeys."

* * *

_Three days later..._

Kimimaro scowled as the little chimp dispelled itself in a puff of smoke, it's mission completed.

After he was sure the scruffy little monkey was gone he released his hold on the glare and focused his attentions on the scroll he now held in his hand. If he was suprised at the Hokage seal that held it shut he didn't show it.

He studied it for a moment longer before reaching to break the seal.

The white haired nin stopped suddenly, glancing toward the door. The lock clicked and he quickly stuffed the scroll into the inside of his light kimono. He would show it to Orochimaru-sama later if it was anything that he should be worried about.

The door swung open and the thin form of Kabuto appeared in the doorway.

"How are you, Kimimaro-kun?" the med-nin asked, a smile on his face as he walked towards the bone user.

Kimimaro glared slightly, all to familiar with the boy's twisted little game. "Do not concern yourself with my condition, trash. If it wasn't against Orochimaru-sama's wishes I would kill you right now."

Kabuto's smile widened a bit, "Ah, always nice meeting with you, Kimimaro-kun." The nin reached into his pouch and tossed a little bottle over to the white haired leader of the Sound Four, "Your medicine. I would stay and be pleasured with your presence, however; Orochimaru-sama hasn't been feeling very well lately..." with that Kabuto bowed lightly, almost mockingly, before stepping out of the room and closing the door behind him.

Kimimaro snorted, "Trash ninja..."

Glancing at the bottle in his hand he rolled it in his hands a few times before pitching it at the wall, the hard surface shattering it on impact, sending thousands of glass shards to the floor.

He coughed one hand as his other pulled the scroll out of his kimono. He took a moment to search for any incoming chakra signatures, but was relieved when he felt no one but the ordinary ninja running around, and all of them knew not to bother him. The last chuunin that had come into his room unanounced had been impaled with six bone bullets before he could blink.

The Shikotsumyaku user broke the seal and quietly unrolled the scroll, blinking in suprise when he saw that the scroll was adressed to him personally. What would the Hokage want with him?

He pondered it for a moment before deciding to find out.

He silently began reading.

Kimimaro's eyes were wide by the time he had finished reading the letter. The scroll itself had fallen out of his hands, and now layed forgotten on the floor next to his medical bed.

It couldn't be true.

There. Was. No. Fucking. Way.

Kimimaro had searched for hours for survivors, but he had never found anything but the mutilated bodies of his former family. But... he had never found his mother's body... He pushed that thought out of his mind.

His mother was the only one that had ever shown him any love. His father had been a cold hearted bastard, and all of the rest of his family had treated him like a freak of nature, a weapon only to be used in extreme war.

Surely if his mother had survived she would have looked for him, Right?

Kimimaro violently smashed these thoughts back into the back of him mind. He wouldn't think of such things, he had given up that past life when he had come to work for Orochimaru-sama.

And yet... If he had truly thrown that life away, then it had come right back to bite him in the ass with this scroll.

If what was said in this scroll was true, and if it had truly come from the Hokage himself, than that would mean that Kimimaro not only had a family member left, but an actual brother!

But, there were many reasons they would try to call him out.

They could just be trying to draw him out to kill him and take a powerful warrior out of Orochimaru-sama's army. Or they could be trying to torture him to gain information to gain information about Otogakure.

Then again - at this thought Kimimaro lowered his eye's slightly - he wasn't much of a benifit to Orochimaru-sama in his current situation anyway, more of a hindrance really, seeing as how Orochimaru had to waste some of his best medics tending to the bone user. And thinking about it, he didn't know much about Otogakure that Konoha hadn't already been told by their spy network, certainly not enough information to ruin Orochimaru-sama's plans.

In any case, he wasn't any use as a vessel anymore and definately not as a fighter.

As he thought over what he had just recieved, he realised that he had absolutely nothing to lose.

Nothing.

It was a strange word, but it was the bane of Kimimaro's existence. To be nothing, or to be useful for nothing, would be letting _him_ win. If Kimimaro was ever useless, as he was now, he would be letting Kaguya Hikyuu win. And that was something he could not tolerate.

Making his decision he opened the window on the eastern wall of his room and leapt out into the night, the dieing words of his father echoeing in his mind.

_You are useless Kimimaro. You amount to nothing, and that is the way it will always be. You and any Kaguya after you, will be known as the disgrace that our mighty clan left behind. You. Are. Nothing._

He would prove that bastard wrong

And he would do it with his own younger son.

* * *

A/N: There it is. Hope you enjoyed it, I kinda had to make myself end it here. I woulda never gotten any sleep otherwise, and I probably wouldn't have been able to leave you with the kind of ending that I like. Hehe.

About the pairing thing, you can vote on almost anyone you want. But there is some exceptions.

1) Naruto will NOT be paired with Hinata. This pairing is good when written well, but I'm sick of all the crappy stories that have it, and I don't think I could write it correctly. He will also not be paired with any older women. So pretty much anyone that is not much older than him (Temari and Yuugito are the exceptions) and that is not Hinata. You can even vote for someone like Kin or Tayuya, since Kimimaro's involvement with sound will help set that up.

2) Kimimaro will NOT be paired with Tsunade, or anyone significantly younger than him(remember, in this fic his just about 20 or so). So pretty much Anko, Kurenai, Yuugao, or some one around that category.

One more thing before I go. I have a Naruto/Bleach Crossover I'm planning to put out after I get a few stories done and only when I get at least TWO stories done. So here's the summary, tell me whatcha think.

_**Inner Demons:**_

**Hated because of something he couldn't control, story of Uzumaki Naruto's life. If only the afterlife was any better:**

Naruto's been locked up by the Gotei 13, put away because he couldn't control his inner hollow. But now, centuries later, when a team of Ryoka invade Soul Society, he gets his chance at escape, and decides to join this young group. But now, with the Arrancar threat approaching, Aizen decides that he can't have Naruto interfering with his plans, and orders him to be killed. Now, with all of Espada on his heels, Naruto has to fight for his life. But Naruto's inner hollow's not about to die that easily, after all, these Arrancar have never fought a nine tailed demon fox before.

Alright thats it.

See ya next time.


	3. It Won't Be Easy

**Summary: **Something changed in Naruto after the fight with Mizuki. The exposure to Kyuubi's altered his dormant genes, making them more dominant and unlocking his bloodline. After, when Naruto's hair starts losing its color and weird things happen during his genin test, the Third knows what he has to do. He sends a message to the last remaining member of Naruto's clan, the only one that can help him control his new abilities. But how will Kimimaro react when he finds out that he has living family?

**2/27/08: **Just got done going back through ALL three chapters and fixing the spacing. God, I hate FF net for suddenly taking out dashes, which I had been using for separation up to this point. Anyway, I've decided that - for a while - this will be the only story I'll be working on. Appologies to fans of my other works, but this is something I have to do. With real life biting me in the ass, I won't be able to maintain three or four stories, so concider them on Hiatus for a while. I'll try to continue them later.

You know, life is different for everybody. For some, it's their whore and they can bend it and twist it and pretty much do whatever they want with it. But for some - like me - it's a bitch, and you have to fight tooth-and-fucking-nail to get some free time.

**A/N:** Well, this is the officially the longest chapter I've ever written. Seriously, it took me forever. Anyway hope you like it. A few things I'm going to say here. Some people were pointing out things that they thought were plot holes. And actually as of now, they are, but most of them I'll be discussing and straightening out. Most of these were pointed out by **Goatis** who apparently is a very observant reader, as he pointed out some things that I didn't even notice. So thank you to Goatis for saving me from possible disaster.

Anyway, he pointed out that Kabuto would probably be in Konoha by now and that Sarutobi shouldn't know about Orochimaru's body transfer technique. These are both valid points. I explained this to the reviewer already, but also decided to explain on here to avoid having to answer the same question twice. First of all Kabuto is still concidered a Konoha ninja right now and his reasons for being in Sound will be explained. And about the body transfer thing, well that'll also probably be explained, but I'll just say that Jiraiya's spy network is a little more reliable in this story.

And one more thing. This fic is rated _**M **_for a reason. I know it's not apparent right now, but in the future, it's gonna get gory, and there's probably sufficient language in this story also, so just to be safe.

Okay, I think that sums it up. I tried to reply to all the questions that I thought were pressing, but if I missed something that you really wanted answered, then tell me and I'll be happy to tell you, as long as it doesn't have to do with questions about what I have planned or whatnot.

**White Hair  
By: alterego94  
****Chapter Three:  
**_**It Won't Be Easy**_

Naruto tugged nervously at the jet black bandana that now covered his head, a nervous habit he'd picked up over the last few days.

He'd spent most of his time in solitude locked in his apartment, on some occations that he would have to leave - most of the time to swing by Ichiraku's - but he'd pretty much kept a low profile since his... sudden change in appearance. He'd had a few uneasy meetings with his team, most of the time they just had some light sparring or went out to lunch.

Though Naruto hardly cared about what the damn villager's thought anymore, he held his fellow academy students' opinions in high regard... well, most of them. The teme could go to hell, along with his harpy fangirls.

Ducking his head, the genin weaved his way through an especially thick crowd of civilians, making his way towards the edge of town where training ground seven was located.

That morning a brown messenger pigeon had tapped at his window mercilessly until he awoke. He had been about to wring the little devil's neck when he discovered that there was a note attached to it's foot, scrawled on with a lazy, withered type of text that he'd expect from Kakashi.

_Training ground. 12:30. Mission._

_Hatake,_

Naruto groaned to himself. The man was too lazy to even write full sentences on his letters, but the prospect of a mission spurred his interest. Reaching a strand of trees, he leaped through them, before coming into a wide clearing with two occupants - Kakashi obviously being the one absent.

Sasuke sat propped up against the single scarred tree stump, his eyes half-way closed and his head down. As Naruto entered the clearing he regarded him with a cool eye, his black pits focused on Naruto for a few moments, before he let out a 'hn' and re-averted his gaze back towards the ground.

Sakura shot him a wary glance. The girl had given up on Sasuke for the moment and was sitting in the grass a few feet away. She didn't know what to think of the blond since he'd stopped chasing her around and calling her '-chan'. It was very sudden, and it was almost _saddening_. He had been her most loyal admirer and one day he'd just _quit_?

Naruto sighed and collapsed against a large rock just a few feet away from the Uchiha. The boys had developed a sort of silent understanding - even if Naruto still thought the Uchiha was a bastard - during the previous team meetings. They had often eaten in silence away from the rest of their team - though, part of this was because Naruto wasn't really comfortable around Kakashi since he almost killed him.

Naruto could see the pain in the other boy's eyes. Even though the blond didn't exactly _like_ Sasuke, he held him in mild respect. After all, Naruto'd been at the funeral of the Uchiha Clan. He held his sympathy from showing however, he knew from experience that the last thing an orphan wants is pity, whether from a best friend or a stranger, pity doesn't do anyone any good.

The blond shifted uncomfortably under his teammate's glances. They had stopped vocalizing their questions about his new headware, but that didn't keep their eyes from asking.

Deciding to get the attention off of himself, he sat up. "Oi, did you hear something about a mission?" he asked, trying and failing miserably at keeping his excitement veiled.

Sasuke nodded quickly, his expression lighter than usual, not set into it's usual scowl. Naruto let a small smile find it's way onto his face, it seemed he wasn't the only one interested.

"Do you think Hokage-sama will actually give us a mission?" Sakura asked hesitantly.

Naruto scowled, "Well... why wouldn't he? I've seen the old man give missions to genin before, and we're genin so we should get missions right?" he brought a kunai out and started spinning it on his finger, "Anyway, that perverted bastard of a sensei better not have just called us out here for nothing..."

Just then there was a puff of smoke and Kakashi appeared, his single eye drooped down into what his students had come to think of as a smile.

Naruto grinned, "Oi, pervert! What's this about a mission?"

Kakashi ignored his question and observed his three students, all of which were looking at him expectantly. _If they only knew_, he trying desperately to keep from giggling, oh this would be fun.

The Sharingan user pulled out a vest from his jounin vest, tossing it to Sasuke. "From the Hokage," he drawled, almost falling over with laughter when he saw their estatic espressions. Sasuke slowly unrolled the scroll, his teammates breathing down his neck.

Kakashi could see their eyes widen in suprise as they skimmed the mission assignment.

_I never thought having a genin team could be so fun._

* * *

Kimimaro sat on a branch, in deep thought.

He was just outside of Konoha's walls, resting in a large pine. It was ridiculously easy to get this far, Konoha's sweeper teams were pathetic at best, passing right beneath him as he leaped through the trees. The only time he'd had trouble was when he ran into a team with a nin dog accompanying them. It had taken some creative thinking - trying to outsmart the dog's nose - but he'd managed.

They'd only been trash after all.

He sighed, albeit quietly. Even if Konoha nin were shitty ninja, they weren't deaf, and as much as he detested them, he doubted he could take an Anbu team in his current condition. Maybe with the curse seal...

He shook his head. If he used _that_, Orochimaru would instantly be alerted to his position and as much as Kimimaro admired the sannin, this was something he did not want him involved in. He may have condemned himself to be Orochimaru's next body, but he'd be damned if he ever left another of his family to face the same fate. Especially if this was truly his mother's son.

He sombered at that thought.

Kushina had been Kimimaro's sunshine. The woman would come to see him every day in his cage, bringing him snacks and other things that she was able to sneak past the body guards. She'd been one of the few to show him kindness, and the only one to treat him as something other than a human weapon. When his mother died, a small part of him had died with her.

Torn and broken, that was when he found sanctuary with Orochimaru-sama.

The snake sannin had taken advantage of him, Kimimaro was not naive enough not to see that, but he would not let the man take his mother's son. Doing so would be disgracing her name, and that he'd rather die than taint his mother's legacy in any way.

Kimimaro was knocked out of his thoughts as a loud cracking noise off to his left caught his attention. Muffled cursing soon followed and soon the person responsible for the noise entered the clearing, before he could move.

* * *

"Ah, fucker!" Naruto swore as he cradled his bleeding cheek with one hand, the other occupied holding the small, fury form of Satan. He'd spent all day chasing after this damn cat.

Apparently, genin missions weren't as glamorous - if you can call brutally killing people glamorous - as he'd originally thought. So far, the most action Naruto'd seen had been chasing down lost pets, or pulling weeds from one of the neighborhood gardens. Needless to say, he was less than pleased with his first few assignments as a Shinobi of Konoha.

He was a ninja, dammit. He didn't go through the horror of the Academy to learn how to skin potatoes.

He readjusted his grip on the little hell spawn that they'd been told was a cat, so that he had it by the scruff of it's neck, where it couldn't do any more damage to his arms or his already thrashed orange jumpsuit.

Naruto leapt up into the trees, breaking his way through the branches as he made his way back toward Konoha, his team was probably waiting for him. After a moment, he discovered something strange, the cat had suddenly quit it's attempted assault on his arms and was slumping in his grip.

He scowled, and was about to just pass it off as just another wierd thing about the little monster, when he felt it.

It started in his stomach. A sudden, helpless, sinking feeling that sat in the pit of his abdomen. It quickly spread throughout his body, his limbs tingling and losing feeling, his throat suddenly becoming cotton dry. His legs were glued to the branch he was on, refusing to carry him further. He repressed a shudder as the feeling surged, a great weight coming onto his shoulders. He faintly registered that he'd let go of the cat at some point.

He'd felt it before, but never this intense.

_Killing intent._

One of the most basic ninja skill, but also one of the most useful. Killing intent could completely immobolize any person - ninja or not - if used correctly. Most Anbu captains would swear by it.

The intense chakra concentration penetrated a person's mind and stimulated either extreme fear or helplessness. Perfect for the use of Shinobi.

Naruto was currently on the wrong side of a burst of the ki. He was no stranger to the feeling, many people detested him and not a few of them were ninja, so he'd had his share of experience with the stuff, but this Killing intent was _much_ more potent than he'd ever felt any of the Konoha jounin conjur up.

He was able to turn his head enough to see his mind-assailant. His eyes widened and his muscles tensed when he saw the appearance of the other nin.

The man looked to be around Kakashi's height, though it was hard to tell the way he was curled up on that tree branch. He wore a loose white medical kimono that opened low, revealing the bandages that covered his chest. He had a pale complexion, and his dull, cold gray eyes seemed to pierce right through Naruto as he stared at him. They were the eyes of a killer.

Despite his intimidating form, that was not what held Naruto's attention. No, what the boy was focusing on was the man's silvery-white hair that hung down from his head in thin strands, and the two distinct crimson dots that framed his forehead.

_No way,_

Naruto fought the urge tremble as the weight in the air increased, forcing him to his knees.

The white-haired man snorted and the ki lessened slightly, "Just more trash," he heard the man mutter, before the killer intent surged again, stronger than before. Then, the man held out his arm, and a _bone _emerged from the back of his wrist!

Naruto did tremble this time, though not because of the influence of the Killer intent. No, he reacted on fear, just plain terror. He tried desperately to move as the man leapt down, but to no avail.

The taller man was standing right in front of him now, his attention focused on the younger gennin. The man brought down his arm, the bone blade came swinging down on him, like a pendulum from hell.

_Shit!_

Naruto's desperation gave him enough strength to roll away from the death blow, but he was to unfocused to catch himself as he slammed into the ground hard. The boy looked up to find the man leaping down from the tree, his feet making indents in the ground as he landed.

He didn't have the power nor the time to put up any kind of defense as a sharp kick impacted with his face. The loud crack resounded through the forest as Naruto was sent flying a few feet away, rolling to a stop against a large rock.

It was by sheer force of will that Naruto was able to get himself to his feet. The Killer intent was still strong, but the pain in his face and back was distracting him somewhat, but that wouldn't last for long, he could already feel the stinging in his jaw go down to a small ache as his healing ability kicked in.

_Run damn it!_

His legs trembled and took a few steps, but refused to further follow his commands as the nin appeared right in front of him, the suddeness of his approach caused Naruto's legs to finally give out from underneath him and he soon found himself on his ass.

The man brought up his unarmed limb and delivered a vicious punch to Naruto's chest. The boy felt the air leave his lungs in a big gust, and was too dazed to react to the back hand that caught him in the cheek, sending him flying. He tumbled to a stop and propped himself up on his arms, staring fearfully at the man who apparently was going to kill him.

But then he realized something.

The bastard was _smiling_. Naruto eyes widened for a moment, before his fists clenched in anger. A low growl escaping his lips, the killer intent suddenly relinquishing it's hold on him.

The asshole didn't think it was enough to just kill him, but he had to play with him too? Well, he'd show this bitch what you got for messing with Uzumaki Naruto.

Free of his previous restraints, he took out a lone kunai and charged, a scream tearing itself from his throat as he approached the other nin.

If the other man was suprised by his charge, he didn't show it, and calmly blocked the kunai with his bone sword - which was still attached to the back of his arm, extending a few feet beyond the length of his hand. Naruto brought his other hand around, hoping to catch the man off guard, but to no avail. The white haired nin easily latched onto his fist with practiced grace, and in the same motion planted a kick in Naruto's chest.

The boy was sent sprawling, his kunai flying from his hand as he desperately tried to get back into position to block, but couldn't in time to stop elbow that slammed into his solar plexus, stinging his abdomen with pain and knocking the air out of him for the second time.

Through the haze of pain, Naruto was able to see the man dissappear suddenly.

There was a flash of white and a sudden pain flared on the back of his neck.

Then everything went black.

* * *

Kimimaro scowled at the orange clad ninja he'd just knocked out.

He had to admit, he was suprised at the genin's performance. The boy had managed to move under the Killer intent barage he'd put him under, and had actually been able to attack, which was a feat in and out of itself.

Certainly for a genin.

But that, of course, was not what piqued Kimimaro's interest.

The boy, as he was looking down at him now, was no worse for wear than when he had first wandered into the clearing - which made _no_ sense whatsoever. The single kick Kimimaro had delivered to the boy's face should have broken the boy's jaw and, more than likely, a few teeth. But now that he observed him, there wasn't a single mark on him in that area, or anywhere else on his body.

Kimimaro had delt out three hits to the boy's chest during the course of their little fight. With the freakish strength his dense bones added to his attacks, the boy's ribcage should be in horrible condition right now, but he'd examined the boy, and not a single thing was out of place.

The former Sound nin could tell that the boy had some sort of healing ability, by the way his bruises were already losing their purplish color, but the speed that they were healing was not equivalent to the speed that the bones must have healed, and Kimimaro highly doubted that this ability would work faster repairing complex internal injuries as opposed to simple external scratches.

That meant that they must not have broken.

His scowl deepened.

That would be impossible. There was no way, with the force he had put behind his blows, that nothing had broke. When Juugo had gone beserk, it had been Kimimaro that had to stop him, and even in his demon form, his forearms had broken when he tried to block Kimimaro's attacks. The only way to avoid it was to use extreme chakra to re-enforce the limbs - which he was certain this boy could not do - or...

His eyes widened slightly and he placed a hand on the boy's bandana covered head, ripping the garmant off. Revealing pale white hair, and two crimson dots stationed above his eyebrows.

_Kami-sama_

This boy... he was... his brother...

Kimimaro slumped to the ground gracelessly. If this... boy... was - along with himself - the last of the Kaguya, then they really had fallen far. This boy could hardly be concidered one of Kimimaro's Clan.

It wasn't fair that this be all that was left of his mother.

Then again, Kimimaro had learned long ago that things in life were hardly ever fair. But, for this... _trash_, to be the last that was left of the only person he had ever loved... it hurt. The boy dressed in _orange_ for Kami's sake. Any decent ninja knew that you do not dress in bright, vibrant colors when on missions, even minor ones, which his apparent half-brother had obviously been on.

He snorted. Even the thought of being related to this boy made his nose wrinkle in distaste.

In the letter he'd recieved from the Hokage, it had said that his relative probably wouldn't be what he expected, and he'd heeded the warning and prepared himself, but even he had never expected this. The boy was the son of the Yondaime Hokage - one of the greatest ninja ever to arrise in the Shinobi nations - and his own mother, who was one of the most potent users of the Shikotsumyaku. Bringing this into the equation, there was no reason that he shouldn't be at least a Chunin by now.

But the scroll had said that the Hokage would go into details when he got there, and he doubted the Sandaime had meant for him to meet the boy before hand. So he'd see the Hokage then.

Standing up, he was going to start for the tower, when something hit him.

Even if he had been able to get past the incompetent patrol teams, and even if Konoha truly had some shitty ninja within it's ranks, you couldn't just walk into a hidden village unanounced, and certainly not when you were from an enemy village - even if that specific 'enemy village' had not been officially declared an enemy yet.

He pondered this for a few more moments before he discovered the solution, and it was so simple that he cursed his illness for befuddling his brain.

The scroll he'd recieved from the Hokage contained the Hokage crest on it, so all he had to do was walk up to the gates, show it to the guards, and they'd let him in. Though, probably with one of those trash Anbu as an escort... but he'd burn that bridge when he got there.

So he slung his newly found Clan-mate onto his shoulder and made his way towards Konoha's gates.

_A while later..._

It took Kimimaro nearly a half an hour to reach the gates with the added weight of the boy - who at this point still woken up.

The boy's size was rather misleading. He looked thin and not slightly malnourished, but was as heavy as a boulder. Of course, it was common for one with Kaguya blood to be heavier than most people, the boy's weight was just ridiculious. It was abnormal for even one from his Clan to be this heavy - especially if what the scroll had said was true and he had only awoken the Shikotsumyaku a few days ago.

It wasn't hard to guess why he was so damn heavy, it was the same reason most Kaguya never learned how to swim. Having a useful Kekkai Genkei never came without a catch. A few of the younger people in the Clan had died because they had fallen into lakes or rivers and didn't know how to walk on water; their bones were too damn dense.

When you have something that can withstand abuse like a Shikotsumyaku bone can, it's gonna be heavy, and most people with it's ability had the buoyancy of a steel pipe.

But to think that this boy's bones were dense enough already to withstand abuse like he'd put them through... Kami, even Kimimaro's father had sported injuries after they had their 'less-than-friendly' spars, and yet this boy came away without hardly a scratch.

He shook his head, this was all very confusing.

Kimimaro had supposedly been summoned to train the boy, but the boy must have some control over his power. Shikotsumyaku was not automatic, it had to have the mental command or the chakra flow in order to activate, the boy had to have called it out to protect him. Unless...

"Halt! State your business!"

He tensed for a moment - almost drawing out a bone - before he realized that it was just a miserable gate guard. Still, he kept his guard up. With trash you could never be too careful.

The man was a tad shorter than Kimimaro's shoulder, and rather chubby for a ninja. His large stomach that bulged out from his Chuunin vest was a testiment to this fact. The man sent a wary glance towards the boy that the bone user was holding, but upheld his stuck-up attitude. With his beady little eyes and pointy nose he reminded Kimimaro of a rat... he hated rats.

The chubby nin's face started to get red when he recieved no response from the taller, white-haired man.

"Foreigner, state your business!" he huffed, clenching his small fists.

Kimimaro shot the short man a look of disdain. If he was in Sound, he would have killed this puny piece of trash in an instant. Sure, he had played with the boy that now rested on his shoulder, but he never had any intention of killing him. He doubted the Hokage would appreciate him decapitating this man, much as he would enjoy it...

"Foreigner!"

Kimimaro scowled now. This man was starting to get annoying.

The little man was glaring up at him now, his face beet red with anger. "If you have no business than I'll have to ask you to _leave_!" he shouted, standing up on his toes for emphasis.

The Shikotsumyaku user snorted. He hoped all ninja in Konoha weren't like this obnoxious little man. Nevertheless, he decided to avoid trouble and silently dug in his kimono for the scroll.

As he was doing so he saw the midget of a Shinobi tense, staring at him with suspicious eyes. Kimimaro almost laughed. If he had been planning on pulling a weapon out on this sorry excuse for a ninja, he wouldn't have broadcasted it, and surely, if he had intended to kill this man his head would already be laying at his feet. He decided to spend a little extra time pulling out the scroll, and was rewarded as drops of sweat popped up like weeds on the fat man's brow.

Finally he decided he had played long enough, and fully removed his hand, revealing the scroll. Rolling it in his hand to show the Hokage Crest, Kimimaro smirked at the flabberghasted face that the man sported upon seeing the mark of his ruler.

The man sputtered for a bit, sending Kimimaro shocked expressions - which the ex-Sound nin found very amusing - before turning without a word and opening the gate.

Kimimaro smiled at the man as he passed, and was awarded as the chubby ninja's complexion paled conciderably. Which was understandable, concidering how the smile must have looked on the bone-users face. His reaction was just what the white-haired nin was shooting for. He chuckled lightly to himself. He couldn't kill the fools, but scaring the shit out of them was oddly... satisfying.

He made his way down the road leading into Konoha and after a few moments was walking through the streets of Konoha itself. The other people gave him a wide berth, which attested to his intimidating figure, most of the villagers sending him looks of fear or respect. Or both.

There was also another expression on the faces of the villagers faces that confused him, however.

_Hate._

The majority of people he passed sent a loathful gaze his way or muttered under their breath. It had him thoroughly confused until he realised that the people weren't looking at him at all, but rather at his passenger.

The number of villagers glaring at the orange-clad genin - and Kimimaro, by assosiation - was appauling. What even more confused him was when he heard one of the villagers mutter something akin to "Damn demon," which only added to his confusion.

The name wouldn't be far off when describing Kimimaro - he'd been called the same many times by enemies on the battlefield - but he had just arrived here and it was more than likely that no one here had heard of him, much less recognize him. And to call this boy that was simply... strange.

His first thought was that the name was more of a title than an actual accusation. Many ninja had been named things by their village based on their ninja skills, such an example was Zabuza, the 'Demon of the Mist', back in Kiri. But he quickly dismissed this thoughts after a quick peek back into the memories of his own fight with the boy. Surely, his ninja skills were nothing impressive, he had potential, but as of now he was just another genin.

So he came to the conclusion that the boy must have done something to earn the villagers' hate in some way. But what exactly he had done was beyond him, he couldn't think of anything short of murder that would spur a village to so venomously hate someone.

Needless to say, his journey to the Hokage tower - which was placed in the center of the village - was less than pleasant. It was even worse when he felt the wary eyes of the local ninja on him, no doubt sensing his enormous chakra signature, no matter how hard he tried to mask it. Still, it was nice to know that there were at least a few capable Shinobi in this village.

By the time he reached the building, there were at least thirty ninja eyeing him from a distance. He was almost worried, here he was, a foreign ninja and he was hefting a local ninja around on his shoulder. He thanked Kami for the boy's healing ability right now. Surely if he had broughten him barely hanging onto life he would have been bombarded with kunai first and asked questions later.

Kimimaro was rather confident in his abilities, but he wasn't delusional enough to think that he could take on a village full of ninja by himself, especially with his current ailment. If he indeed decided to stay, he would have to start training the boy immediately. Even now he could feel a cough coming on, and the cold breath of the Shinigami on his shoulder. He didn't have long left in this world, his disease would finish him soon.

He was slightly bitter with the fact that he would most likely die in a hospital bed, and not in battle, but he pushed these thoughts aside as he stepped into the Hokage tower.

As he passed though the doors he felt the eyes of at least half a dozen Anbu on him. It took a great deal of concentration not to look at them, they already suspected him, and if he was to reveal that he could see the hidden Anbu it would be asking for trouble.

He walked up to the help desk, pointedly ignoring the looks of bewilderment on the faces of the ninja in the building. It wasn't everyday you see someone just waltz into the Hokage tower and surely not when they were so obviously from another village.

As he reached the Chuunin on duty froze in his seat.

It was a man of average build, a deep scar marring the skin of his face from one cheek, across the nose, to the other. The man looked frozen in fear, but it didn't look like he was looking at Kimimaro, rather his eyes were locked on the boy. The bone-user scowled, he'd had enough taking back seat to this kid, Kami people ignored him - someone that could kill most of them without a sweat - and instead focus on a mostly harmless little boy.

There was something different about this man's stare however, he didn't look fearful _of_ the boy, but rather, what would _happen _to the boy as he was in the arms of an unknown ninja.

Kimimaro cleared his throat, getting the man's attention. Seeing that he finally had the man looking at him, Kimimaro spoke. "I am here to see... the Hokage." he said, having to break in the middle to stifle a cough.

The scarred man's eyes widened, "Do you have an appointment with Sandaime-sama?" he asked, still keeping Naruto within the corner of his vision.

Kimimaro couldn't stop the next cough, and silently cursed himself as he broke out into a small fit. His illness had been subdued for so long, why did it have to spike up right now? The cough eventually subsided, and he was able to speak again.

"No,"

The Chuunin shook his head, "Then I'm afraid you'll have to wait-"

He was cut off as Kimimaro brought out the scroll with a huff of annoyance. The man's eye's bulged out as he saw the Hokage Crest. He stuttered as he tried to form a coherent sentence.

Kimimaro cut him off with a hand, this man was starting to grate on his nerves. "What is your name, tra... Shinobi?"

The Chuunin sputtered a bit more, and just when he was about to give up on the man he got out, "Iruka. Umino Iruka."

He nodded. "Take this trash from me for a minute." And before the man could respond he had removed the boy from his shoulders and shoved him into the Chuunin's arms, already heading down the hall towards the Hokage's office - leaving Iruka in his seat with an unconscious Naruto in his hands.

Sure, it was not the most effective way to get rid of the boy, but it worked. That Iruka had been the first person since he had entered the village that hadn't looked at the boy with loathing. And besides, Kimimaro had no idea how this meeting with the Sandaime would go, and if he had to get away fast he didn't want anything hampering his escape.

Hell, he didn't know if he could escape in the first place, should things get hairy.

He let a sigh as he pushed open the door to Hokage's office, without knocking.

_Kami-sama help me._

* * *

Sarutobi was stamping papers when the door to his office opened, without so much as a single knock to announce the person's arrival.

He frowned and set his rubberstamp down on the corner of his desk. Whoever it was hadn't had the decency to knock, so he figured they could at least wait a minute for him to prepare to address whoever it was. Someone powerful he knew, he could practically see the chakra flow into the room as the person entered, probably Kakashi or Tenzou...

The person cleared their throat irritably, and Sarutobi had half the mind to send him/her out of the room without a glance, but decided that he may as well get it over with, as he wanted to spend as little time with this impatient person as possible.

So he looked up...

...and barely had time to catch his pipe before it fell from between his teeth, a side-effect of his dropped jaw.

Now when he had sent that letter into Orochimaru's fortress, by all acounts he was very skeptical as to whether he would even be acknowledged, let alone responded to. But never, in his wildest dreams would he have expected the person - one of Orochimaru's most loyal followers, even - to be standing in his office, barely five days later.

He managed to compose himself after a few moments, and motioned for the white-haired young man to sit down, to which he complied. The man's face was stony, but Sarutobi could swear he saw the ghost of a smile of amusement.

They spent the first few moments in uncomfortable silence, neither one of them wanting to start off. After a while Sarutobi eventually folded and decided that he had better introduce himself.

"Sarutobi Sasuke, Sandaime Hokage and leader of Konohagakure," He said with a small bow of his head, "I appreciate that you have decided to visit..." he let it hang for a moment.

The man looked slightly confused for a moment, before a look of realization came onto his face and he shifted in his seat. "Kaguya... Kimimaro." he said indifferently.

The Sandaime gave him a light smile, "It is a pleasure to meet you, Kimimaro-san," It was subtle, but Sarutobi raised an eyebrow when he saw Kimimaro stiffen at the title. He shouldn't have been suprised, given the poor boy's background, but it was saddening to see him so uncomfortable with a term of respect.

After another moment of silence, Kimimaro finally chose to speak.

"I recieved your letter..."

The wizened Hokage flashed him another polite smile, "Yes?"

The Shikotsumyaku user closed his eyes for a moment and sighed, the action making him suddenly look very frail. "I'm too tired to discuss everything right now... but tomorrow, I want to speak to you. You better be able to convince me that trash is really my relative."

The Sandaime scowled. It was hard for him to hear Naruto spoken of in such a way. But... he supposed beggars couldn't be choosers. He would rather have an ass of a mentor for the boy, than none at all.

"I assure you, that I can." He took a puff of his pipe. "And if you were wondering," he gave Kimimaro a look, "His name is Naruto."

The Shikotsumyaku user tilted his head slightly in silent amusement, "Fishcake?"

The Sandaime sighed, "The name was, I think, referring to Maelstrom." he said dryly, "But knowing his father's obsession with ramen..." the wisened man shook his head. "In any case, I can arrange for you to meet him tomorrow."

Kimimaro let out a quiet scoff, "I have met... Naruto..."

Saruto blinked, "Pardon?"

Another ghost of a smile appeared on the bone-user's face, but it was gone so fast it could have just been Sarutobi's imagination. "Yes, I met him as I was entering the village. I engaged him and brought him here after he lost conciousness," here Kimimaro scowled, "His ninja skills are quite pathetic, really."

Sarutobi sighed once again - choosing to ignore the fact that the man had fought one of his ninja, besides, he doubted Naruto was hurt - suddenly seeming much older. "Yes... he has lived a hard life... I could find no one willing to teach him." Kimimaro shot the man a suspicious look, but waited for him to continue. "The villagers... well, they do not see him as what he is. I am sure you saw the looks when you brought him through the village."

Kimimaro nodded slowly, not sure where this was going.

"He..." the old man paused for a second, before changing his approach, "No doubt you have heard of the Kyubi attack twelve years ago, when our Yondaime Hokage risked his life to defeat the Fox... that is what is told outside of our village anyway," He took a long drag on his pipe, it saddened him to talk about that day, even now. "But what you most likely do not know, is that even the Yondaime could not defeat the Kyubi.

"The Yondaime couldn't defeat the Fox... so he sealed it away. With lesser Biju, there have been cases in which the demon is sealed inside something, such as a vase or an ornament. But the Kyubi - the strongest of the Biju - could not have been killed, nor sealed into a simple object. The Yondaime knew this beforehand, so he prepared. He was a seal master, and with my student he prepared a seal that would lock Kyubi... in a human being. He sacrificed himself to the Shinigami, in order to seal the Kyubi into his son. Namely, Naruto."

The Sandaime watched the Kaguya waryly as he finished his condensed version of the sealing of the Kyubi, wondering if he would show the same hate as the villagers did. He was slightly perturbed to find that the man's face held only a look of blank interest.

"Of course you can't kill a demon..." muttered the bone-user. To think that Konoha ninja could be so foolish to think that a mere man could kill a monster that could destroy a mountain with a look.

But if the demon was truly sealed inside the boy, it could have some effects on his use of the Shikotsumyaku, which might explain the abnormal maturity of Naruto's bones. It could also explain his healing ability. He silently grinned to himself, this could seriously help the boy. By the time Kimimaro was done with him, he'd be able to give even Orochimaru a run for his money.

But there was still something that bothered him...

"You still haven't explained why the villagers hate him so much," he said, genuinely confused.

Sarutobi smiled solemnly, "But I have..." he set his pipe on the table. "the villagers hate Naruto, because of the very reason he protects them. He has the Kyubi sealed in him."

That confused Kimimaro even more, "I don't undersand."

The Sandaime sighed, "On that day, many family members were lost, and even more were badly injured. Many of the people in Konoha hold insatuable hate towards the Kyubi. They don't see Naruto as their protecter, but rather as the reincarnation of the Kyubi no Yoko."

Kimimaro blanked for a moment, but nodded in understanding.. That would explain it, though he questioned the villagers' reasoning, he understood their thoughts. Surely, he harbored great hate towards the Kyubi, simply because it had tainted one of his siblings - thought not necessarily in a bad way - and was probably the reason for his mother's death - but he was not delusional enough to hate someone because they held the burden of carrying it.

_Mother._

He inhaled deeply. He didn't even know how she died. Though, he doubted he wanted to know and kept his inquiries to himself. Pushing his thoughts away he said, "I think I will take my leave... Hokage-san."

The age-wisened Hokage nodded and dug around in his desk for a moment, before tossing the bone-user a silver metal pendant with the symbol of the Leaf embeded in it's surface. "Show that to anyone that questions you, it's a medal that most Anbu carry around, it signifies that you have my trust..." the man gave him a strange look for a moment, "Where will you stay?"

"I have sufficient ryo, I will search for an inn where I can stay." Kimimaro responded.

"I can find an empty house for you,"

He shook his head, "It isn't required."

Sarutobi nodded slowly, respecting the boy's wishes. "Alright," he said, "You may meet me tommorow after you find some place to stay, and if you decide to teach him... you'll have free reign. But remember this, I _will_ be watching and I _will not_ allow anything ill to befall Naruto." he finished dangerously.

Kimimaro nodded his understanding and walked out the door, the lock clicking behind him.

The Sandaime sighed to himself and massaged his temples.

_Naruto, I hope you are prepared... I have a feeling that this won't be easy on you._

* * *

**A/N:** Well, there you have it. Another chapter. I know that I'm majorly jerking people around with my indecisiveness, but I'm stuck on the last part on the next chapter of _**Fall of a Hero**_, and decided I'd get the urge to write this story flushed out to maybe gain back some inspiration.

Though I'm sure you guys don't mind the updates.

With the pairing thing, I was suprised at the possibilities that you guys came up with. I never thought of pairing anyone with Ayame, or even Shizune to be honest. Now just to clear things up, I am not having an actual poll per se, I just want to see what you guys prefer and get in some new ideas before I finalize the pairing. Hell, the pairing might not happen 'til after the training trip, so don't hold your breath.

Anyway, hope you like it. I really enjoyed writing Kimimaro, adding some characterization to him is really fun, and he's pretty much a clean slate so I can do practically anything I want. So yeah, tell me what you thought about how he acted and all that.

See ya next time,

alterego94


	4. Pursuit of Strength

Summary:

Something changed in Naruto after the fight with Mizuki. The exposure to Kyuubi's altered his dormant genes, making them more dominant and unlocking his bloodline. After, when Naruto's hair starts losing its color and weird things happen during his genin test, the Third knows what he has to do. He sends a message to the last remaining member of Naruto's clan, the only one that can help him control his new abilities. But how will Kimimaro react when he finds out that he has living family?

**White Hair  
By: alterego94  
Chapter Four:  
**_**Pursuit of Strength **_

Kimimaro had decided that the village of the leaf was going to take some serious getting used to.

It had been quite a while since he had experienced the flow of a village. In fact, he had never experienced the bustling flow and feel of a place quite like Konoha. Not that this was a huge surprise, most of his young life had been spent in a cell, hidden away in fear by the very man responsible for his existence.

The lively attitude of this damned city was already giving him a headache, the last thing he needed was more stress on his cranium.

The sun had barely peaked over the horizon and already dozens of people were roaming the streets, preparing their shops for the day or shouting words of encouragement to the few ninja that were strolling along. Birds were chirping and the aroma of eggs and bacon wafted up to Kimimaro's nostrils as he leaped from the rooftops.

The whole scene was rather… revolting.

He quickened his pace to avoid soaking in any more of the early morning's festivities. He was on his way to pick up... the boy, Naruto, that was his name. Kimimaro was going to have to work on that if he was going to be spending time with the child for a while. Not that he had made any particular judgment as to his future plans at the moment. The trash was still trash for now, the boy had proved nothing.

He neared the street he was told the Chuunin, Iruka, lived. Apparently that was the ninja that he had handed the boy off to yesterday. He located the apartment building with the right address and stopped in front of it.

Kimimaro took a deep breath and rubbed his temples. He really did have a headache. He doubted the boy would be happy to see him, and most likely the insuing confrontation would aggravate his migraine even more.

With a resolute sigh he shook his head and went for the door.

* * *

Naruto awoke to the smell of coffee.

He_ hated_ coffee.

It was a bitter, nasty concoction that was better left to the old geezers that were always sipping on it to keep their wrinkle-beaten brows open. Even for them, Naruto couldn't see why they would want such a disgusting drink. It probably just burned the rest of their age worn taste buds off.

He grumbled and rolled over.

…_Why was he smelling coffee in his house anyway?_

With a start, Naruto opened his eyes for the first time. He was staring at the back of a couch. Not his couch. His couch had torn satin cushions, this one had new leather. And there were no springs sticking out.

Realizing that he definitely was not at home, he sprung to his feet. Or at least tried to. A sudden burst of pain hit him in his rib cage and he toppled to the ground onto a thick carpet. Kami, he felt like he'd been stabbed by a katana.

He looked down at himself to discover that he was not wearing his orange jumpsuit, it had been replaced by simple pajama pants. Shinobi wrap covered his ribs and with a couple painful pokes and jabs at himself, Naruto decided they weren't too bad, just very tender.

He sat up on the floor still very perplexed at his situation. The last thing he remembered was that… _bastard_ from the forest.

That was it! The shinobi that had the same markings that he had, he remembered now from the woods. He must have been knocked out and that's when he was brought here.

Naruto glanced around, wherever_ here_ was.

He was in a pretty bare room. He had been sleeping on a couch that was pretty much the only furniture in the place. There was a small television facing the couch that didn't look like it was used very much, and a small coffee table with a lamp sitting in the corner. There was a door on the far side of the room and beside it Naruto spotted his orange jumpsuit.

_What the hell, _He stumbled over and decided to slip his gear back on. He suited back up and discovered that nothing was missing from the pockets. It even smelled like someone had washed it. He found his shinobi bandana laying underneath and put that on as well, still not coming to grips with the sudden changes in his appearance.

Speaking of which, he scowled as he recalled the similarities the man from the forest had with his own altered self. The white hair, the fiery red dots, maybe it was some rare disease that he had never heard of. That wouldn't be that shocking, he normally dozed off during those lessons at the academy.

Thinking of the man made Naruto wonder what had become of the bastard anyway. He couldn't think of any way he could have gotten bandaged unless someone from the village had found him.

Unless he was taken somewhere else… That particular fear struck Naruto hard, but a quick look out the window to the familiar streets of Konoha quickly struck down that thought. He let out a brief sigh of relief, but it didn't take long for him to wonder again just where the hell he was.

He looked again to the door and with sudden resolve decided that he was going to find out. He swung open the door and found himself staring down a short hallway. The smell of coffee was stronger out here, and Naruto stepped quietly down to a door at the end of the hallway that he hoped was the exit.

He couldn't hear much, but straining he made out hushed voices on the other side of the door. Not stopping to try to make out what the voices were saying he swung open the door and stepped into the room.

At first the change in lighting disoriented him, but through the spots he saw a familiar figure sitting in a far rocking chair, sipping a large mug of coffee.

"Iruka-sensei…?"

"Ah, Naruto!" Iruka startled from his seat, spilling some of his steaming hot drink onto his leg. He didn't seem to notice, "You're awake already!"

Something was wrong, Iruka was acting weird.

"Yeah," Naruto attempted to shield his eyes from the bright overhead lights, "what the hell is going on here anywa…."

He trailed off as his eyes adjusted and he saw just who was sitting in the adjourning sofa. Cold gray eyes, as hard as steel met his gaze. A shiver ran down his spine; just like the time in the forest barely a day ago.

"Shit!" Naruto came to his senses and without thinking hurled a kunai at the opposing ninja. The man simply leaned his head to the side as the knife whizzed by his ear, impaling itself in the wall behind the sofa.

Forgetting his injuries for the moment, Naruto yanked out another kunai and prepared to launch across the room.

"Naruto no-!"

Iruka's cry fell upon death ears and Naruto charged. All that was on his mind was the night before. That wicked grin that had looked down upon him as he had laid upon the forest floor was fresh in his conscious.

Naruto tightened his grip on the kunai had pushed forward with all of his might, aiming the point between the other shinobi's eyes, before he was suddenly jolted. His whole arm went numb as all of his momentum suddenly came to a stop.

The man had a crushing grip on his wrist that forced Naruto to a knee. The kunai was stopped just as it had penetrated the skin and a slow stream of blood dropped down the man's forehead.

"Wha-?" Naruto's breath hitched in his throat. "Let go of me!"

Naruto pulled back as hard as he could, dropping the bloody kunai to the floor. The shinobi held his wrist for a moment longer before scoffing.

"Trash.."

Naruto suddenly was released and the absence of resistance landed him on his rear end.

A long, pregnant silence passed as the two locked gazes. Naruto's own bright blue eyes seem to be swallowed up by the cold gray pits of the other man's eyes. Iruka watched the scene silently from the couch. He was attempting to look neutral, but his tense posture gave away his anxiety.

It took Naruto a good minute to steady his breathing, but he doubted his heart would stop pounding for a long while.

"Who… who are you?"

His whispered question deigned no response from the shinobi. His hard gaze did not falter in the slightest.

"Naruto," Iruka interjected. He looked hesitant to speak up and his voice was hushed as to not disturb the silence of the room. "Why don't you sit down on the couch? There's a lot to explain…"

"No," Naruto replied quickly, "Tell me what the hell is going on!"

His gaze shifted back to the silent shinobi on the couch. He hadn't bothered to wipe away the blood. It was dripping on the couch, leaving a dark stain on the cushion. The man still did not respond.

Naruto's fear was starting to wear away. He wanted to know why this man was sitting there. He wanted to know why Iruka was giving him that strange look. He was tired of being kept in the dark. He was_ going_ to find out why this bastard was sitting in his sensei's living room and why some ninja from the village hadn't taken care of him yet.

"Fucking talk, dammit!"

A small smirk.

"Who the _fuck_ are you?"

The man stood then, towering over Naruto. He took the sleeve of his medical kimono and wiped his face, smearing blood across the fabric. He gave Naruto another heart-piercing stare.

"My name is Kaguya Kimimaro," He leaned in close. Some blood was still smeared on his cheek. "and I am here to show you how to be a ninja."

* * *

"So, what the fuck do you want me to do again?"

"I want to see your power, trash. It's not that difficult of a request."

Naruto frowned.

He was currently standing in the middle of training ground 13, facing the man he had come to know as Kimimaro. The ex-sound nin had not told him much about himself, only that he was going to train Naruto with his new abilities, which apparently Kimimaro possessed as well.

Naruto was reluctant to trust the man that had tried to kill him less than a day ago, but Iruka had told him that the idea had already been cleared by the Hokage. And hell, if ojisan was okay with it, he doubted that he would be in danger.

But still, the man standing before him was rough around the edges…

"Must I repeat myself again?" Kimimaro asked irritably, "Show me the bone blade that almost killed your sensei!"

"I…" Naruto hesitated at the mention of the incident. It was still a sore spot for him. He hadn't known what to think about himself after he had sprouted a bone from his arm. He had no idea whether it was the kyuubi's doing or some strange injury he had somehow inflicted on himself.

Now just finding out he had an ability that no one else in Konoha possessed… it was a little hard to comprehend.

"I'm not sure how to do it," he admitted, scratching the back of his head embarrassedly.

This elicited a sigh from Kimimaro. Which led to a small coughing fit.

When he had recovered he wiped his mouth and said, "The shikatsumyaku is activated by emotion. Remember what exactly you were feeling during the first activation you should be able to replicate the experience."

Naruto frowned uncertainly. "Um… okay."

"Just _do_ it."

Tentatively, Naruto held out his right arm, attempting to remember that day. The way his sudden transformations had put him on edge. The way Kakashi's smug attitude had gotten under his skin. The way he felt inadequate after failing to catch the jounin…

Soon his thoughts had moved on from just that incident to general wrongdoings that had been done to him throughout his life.

His constant rejections from Sakura.

Sasuke's constant condensation.

Remembering these had sparked something in Naruto. He felt the anger start to well up inside of him and a pressure started to build on his chest.

_Naruto-baka, leave Sasuke-kun alone!_

_Leave me alone Naruto._

_Hn, dobe._

Naruto was no longer in the training field. He found himself in the dark of his consciousness, surrounded by his painful memories. He gripped his head as more and more memories poured in. One particular memory pulled the last straw as anger gave way to rage,

_Looks like you won't be Hokage after all._

Suddenly Naruto's arm flared with pain. He ignored the ache, too caught up in his rollercoaster of emotion. The ache eventually rose to a sharp pain. Finally, it reached an unbearable amount of pain, just like before.

The pain forced his mind back to the training ground.

"Aaaahhhh!"

He clutched his right forearm and fell to a knee as the pressure increased even more. Bile rose in his throat as he experienced the déjà vu of his ulna bone pushing its way out of his arm. He doubled over as the skin above his wrist split, exposing the bone as it slid smoothly out of his forearm until it extended a good two and a half feet past his fingertips.

Blood gushed from where the bone protruded and spilled onto the grass. Naruto could no longer hold the contents of his stomach.

After emptying his gut, Naruto wiped his mouth and let out a long breath. The pain had subsided back to a minor soreness in his arm. He turned to find Kimimaro watching the scene in silence from a few feet away.

Naruto rose shakily to his feet and faced the ex-sound ninja.

"Is this what you wanted?" He raised his arm; the milky white of the bone contrasted the blood that covered his forearm.

Kimimaro simply coughed and stepped forward. He grabbed Naruto a bit roughly by the arm to inspect the bone blade. Naruto winced at the tenderness in his arm but didn't object.

The white haired shinobi ran his hand up the flat of the bone. It was flawless; the pearly white surface was as smooth as any metal. Naruto watched as he also skimmed a finger along the front tapered edge of the bone, seemingly not noticing as it sliced his finger.

Kimimaro suddenly released Naruto's arm.

"It seems that your stimulating emotion is anger." He noted.

Naruto nodded quietly.

"Your Shikotsumyaku is unlike a traditional Kaguya's," Kimimaro stated. His voice seemed to hold an undertone of curiousity. "Pain is a natural part of the process, but most first time users don't produce bones this…large."

"Kaguya?"

Kimimaro scoffed, "Yes Kaguya. You best remember the name _boy_, for it is the very name for the blood that runs through your veins. The blood that produces the Shikatsumyaku, most powerful of all kekkei genkai."

Naruto blinked and was silent for a moment. _The blood that ran through his veins? _He looked at the bone extending from his arm and wondered whether that was a blessing or a curse.

"This is the… Shikatsumyaku?"

Kimimaro coughed violently but nodded, "Yes."

"Will it always hurt this bad?" Naruto asked, remembering how painful it was to extract the blade. The first time he had passed out, and nearly the second time too. He couldn't really see how the technique would be useful if he was too busy crying from the pain.

"Pain is not a sensory function that a true shinobi should possess." Kimimaro remarked, "The Shikatsumyaku is the ultimate technique. The pain it inflicts on the user is trivial when compared to the pain inflicted on its opponent."

Naruto tried to not let his skepticism show on his face. This asshole sure was pretentious. He would probably be better served blowing his nose that talking up his ability so much. To tell the truth though, Naruto didn't know what to think about having such a skill.

His general opinion on bloodlimit abilities was negative, basing it on his experiences with the Sharingan and the Hyuuga's Byakugan. Thinking about it though, he had more of a problem with the arrogant way the bastards held themselves than the power they had. Naruto didn't care how powerful they were, they didn't have the right to look down upon everyone like they did.

Now though, he found himself standing before someone who was much the same way. From the little he knew of Kimimaro, the man was a psychopath. He had brutally attacked Naruto in the forest—something he wasn't soon to forget—and seemed to be the most stoic person Naruto had met since Shino, his classmate. The only true emotion Naruto had seen from the man was disdain.

"_Trash_,"

Yup, disdain.

"Stop calling me that!" Naruto growled, clenching his fist.

"I'll stop calling you that when you prove to me that you are worthy of being considered something more than garbage," Kimimaro replied coldly, "And maybe if you spent less time daydreaming I wouldn't have to get your attention."

Naruto grunted and was about to cross his arms but realized his bone sword got in the way. He really was not liking this guy.

"As I was saying," Kimimaro paused to cough, "I have decided to teach you for the time being. That is only if you can agree to a couple of… regulations."

He waited until Naruto nodded before continuing, "If I am to train you with the Shikatsumyaku, you must be completely committed. You will train for as long and as hard as I see fit. I will train you to be a true shinobi, if you desire. I can guarantee that you will become powerful. You will learn to ignore pain, and you will learn how to do what is necessary. This is the way of the Kaguya."

Naruto soaked all this in as Kimimaro paused. He wasn't sure. He wanted to become Hokage, didn't that require him to be the strongest. He looked at the battle hardened man in front of him and realized he looked even younger than some of the Chuunin Naruto had seen around Konoha, certainly younger than Iruka.

Yet Naruto knew he could kill most of the ninja he had ever seen. He might even be able to take Kakashi-sensei.

"Do you accept?"

Naruto took one look at his would-be sensei and glanced once more at his protruding bone blade before he made his decision. He nodded.

"You will have the rest of the day for yourself," Kimimaro said, waving his hand. He stepped forward suddenly and placed his hand on Naruto's forearm, the tender area where the bone had come out. His hand glowed green for an instant before his other hand grabbed the makeshift bone blade and yanked it free of Naruto's arm.

Surprisingly, Naruto felt no pain, but couldn't help let out breath as Kimimaro pulled the bone free.

"Eventually you will learn to merge the bones back into your skeleton," Kimimaro said, weighing the newly acquired bone in his hand, testing the weight. "For now, I'll simply extract them. It will give me a chance to see how your skeletal structure regenerates as well."

Naruto just blinked, speechless.

"Begone trash," Kimimaro waved his hand, "I shall see you here tomorrow after you meet with your team." He turned and inspected Naruto for another moment before continuing,

"And if you do not have a suitable change of clothes by that point, I'll show you just how devastating the Shikatsumyaku can be."

_

* * *

_

Clothes?

What the hell? Naruto didn't think that what he wore had anything to do with his ability as a ninja. What was wrong with his jumpsuit anyway?

He glanced down at his attire to prove his mental statement.

Well… he had to admit that they were kind of beat up…

His recent delving into the horror that was D ranked missions had taken its toll on his outfit. Various rips and stains adorned his once bright and lively orange jumpsuit. Hell, one of the legs was almost disconnected at the knee.

Naruto somehow doubted that any amount of stitching could restore his clothing to its prior glory.

Damn, that meant he _had_ to find some new clothes.

As he strolled down the streets of Konoha Naruto glanced around for a clothing store that he might be permitted to purchase from. Or at least one where he hadn't been kicked out of before. However, he frowned when he realized that most of the stores were already closing down. With a start he found that the sun was already retreating down the horizon.

The day really had gotten away from him.

Naruto came to a stop at the last store in sight that was open. It was a rather dingy looking place, the outside was in dire need of being repainted and shingles were coming off of the roof. But the inside looked clean and inviting and a gentle looking lady with graying blonde hair was sitting behind the counter.

Naruto hesitantly walked through the door and his ears were meant with a pleasant dinging sound, which brought the attention of the old lady.

"Oh!" She started. Naruto tensed as she looked him over. "Well, if it's not a customer! We are close to closing, so what can I help you with?"

"U-Uhm… I just needed to get some new clothes…" Naruto stuttered. He wasn't quite sure what to think about the woman, but she seemed nice enough. "…for ninja wear."

"Hmm, I can see that." The woman gave him a teasing smile before snapping her fingers and pointing towards the back of the store. "My granddaughter is in the back if you were looking for help. She's quite superficial, I'm sure she'll set you up with something stylish."

"O-Okay" Naruto hurried as the lady ushered him back. He found a rather large section of the store that was devoted to shinobi garb. The store was a lot bigger than it appeared on the outside.

Uncertainly, he started looking through the isles for a suitable outfit. He grunted in frustration as he realized he had no idea where to start. He had never been shopping before, and the way he had been so easily invited in had unnerved him a bit. He wasn't used to hospitality.

Naruto was looking through a couple of ninja pants when a familiar voice startled him,

"Naruto?"

He jumped and spun around quickly. His blue eyes met green and a mop of blonde hair flooded his vision.

"Ino-chan?"

The girl was right in his face, giving him a curious glance. Naruto took an uncomfortable step back, "What are you doing here?"

Ino gave him a blank look, "Um, I was helping my baa-chan close up her store." She looked him up and down, "Why are _you_ here?"

"Hah, well…" Naruto scratched the back of his head nervously, "I kinda needed to get some new clothes, ya know? Mine are pretty trashed."

Ino scoffed at him, "That's probably the biggest understatement I've heard in a while Naruto. I wouldn't even call those rags clothes."

Naruto flinched a bit at that, he wasn't sure why. For some reason, recently he had become more sensitive to his classmates scrutiny. He wouldn't say that their words hurt him, but he was so tired of being treated like an outcast. His recent interactions with Sakura could probably be to blame for that.

"They're the best I could find." He replied quietly, looking away.

"Oh," Ino hesitated for a moment and Naruto spotted some emotion flash in her eyes before it suddenly vanished. "Don't worry about it! I'll find you something cool, guaranteed. Who better to give you advice on style than me, right?" She flashed him a bright smile.

Naruto blinked.

Where had that come from?

Ino had never been as mean to him in the academy as his other classmates, but he wouldn't go as far to say that she was _nice_ to him. He wasn't sure what to do with her smiling at him like that. He eventually smiled back hesitantly.

"Yeah, you're probably the best person to ask."

"I know. Now come on!" Ino pulled him around a corner to an isle that he hadn't yet explored. "This is where I put all the best stuff."

"Now, what color…? Hmm, black for sure, you're a ninja after all, but we can throw in some nice complementing colors too… I suppose you'll want orange…"

Naruto stood by awkwardly as Ino sorted through a myriad of clothes that she thought would best suit him. She looked for a good twenty minutes, occasionally holding a piece of material up to see how it looked next to Naruto, before she finally decided on an outfit.

She quickly ushered him into a dressing room and demanded he put the stuff on.

Naruto still wasn't quite sure what to think but he obeyed. Stumbling into the dressing room he found himself face to face with a mirror.

He gave himself one long look in the mirror.

Then he sighed and began to put the clothes on.

* * *

Yamanaka Ino stood outside the door of the dressing room, biting her nail.

The last person she ever expected to see in her grandmother's shop was Naruto. Truth be told, she hadn't been all that thrilled to see him either.

Naruto had always been a bit of an annoyance to Ino. Sure, she didn't have to deal with the constant attentions he gave Sakura, but she got a healthy dose of his fawning as well. She had admittedly been a bit meaner than she maybe should have been in the past, but it was so hard not to get frustrated with someone like Naruto.

Ino had never seen Naruto sad. He was always smiling, perhaps that was the part that she found so annoying. How could someone just be that happy? She had never understood how he was able to laugh off all of the rejections he received from Sakura or all of the terrible comments he was subject to by his other classmates. The boy seemed to have an indomitable spirit that just couldn't be dampened.

But when Ino had made a comment about the conditions of his clothes he had suddenly become so… vulnerable? Ino hesitated to use such a word with Naruto. Naruto the self-proclaimed ultimate prankster. Naruto who never failed to make even the most terrible of situations worth a laugh. In fact, thinking back on it, that was what Naruto had always been.

Someone that made people feel better about themselves. A person that anyone could make fun of to hide their own insecurities.

Ino glanced at the door.

She wasn't sure what had spurred her sudden thoughts about Naruto, but it had to be the fact that it was the first time she had spotted genuine sadness behind his blue veils.

She had decided that she would be as nice to him as she could handle. She would _try_. Just because he had always been so nice to her.

She was brought out of her thoughts as she heard the lock on the door click. Naruto came slowly out of the dressing room, as if he hadn't grown accustomed to moving in his new clothes.

"Wha- wow…"

Ino's surprise made itself vocal as she took in Naruto's new appearance. It was just so…different.

She had fitted Naruto with a pair of black shinobi pants that billowed out around his knees before tightening above his ankles with an elastic band. An orange sash was tied around his waist, the loose ends hanging down to about his mid-thigh. His feet were covered in long black socks and slipped into a fresh pair of black ninja sandals.

He was wearing a black shirt that had one sleeve that extended down his left arm, leaving his kunai throwing arm free of resistance. Over that was a black shinobi vest with utility pockets all around for practicability. Covering his hands were standard, fingerless ninja gloves with a protective metal backing.

"Um… does it look bad or something?" Naruto asked, shifting under her gaze.

"Oh," Ino shook her head, "No, it looks good. I just can't believe I'm seeing you and not everything is orange!"

She studied him a bit more before nodding. "Yup, I think that'll work don't you?" Then she noticed something. "Hey, what's with the bandana, Naruto? That _has_ to go."

"Uh, no I think-"

Naruto's complaints were cut off as Ino ripped the bandana off of his head, freeing his mop of hair.

"Huh?"

Ino blinked as she noticed that Naruto's usually sunshine blonde hair was a lot lighter. In fact, his spikey locks were lighter than her own. It was almost… white?

"Naruto, did you dye your hair or something?" She asked, puzzled.

Naruto sputtered for a moment, confusing Ino further, before he replied, "Uh, yeah I did. What do you think?"

Ino got the feeling that he was keeping something to himself but decided to leave it alone.

"It looks… kinda cool," She observed. "You really shouldn't keep it hidden away. I'll get you a hiate-ate, hold on."

Ino quickly retrieved a hiate-ate with extended tie strings. She had Naruto put it on and nodded approvingly at how it hung down his neck and held up his wild hair.

"There, I think that's it!" She exclaimed, giving Naruto a smile.

"Heh, thanks Ino-chan." Naruto gave her one of his own signature grins and laughed a little bit. Ino's own smile widened a bit at how cheerful he suddenly seemed.

The two stood there in silence for a couple of moments before an aged voice called back from the front of the store. "Ino! It's time to close up! Did you find what that boy was looking for?"

"Oi, it's already late! Sorry Ino-chan, here's some money. See you later!"

Before Ino could respond, Naruto shoved a wad of cash in her hand and dashed out of the store, giving her a wave as he left. He left Ino standing there stupidly, her mouth still open to say her own goodbye.

"Bye… Naruto."

She trailed off, he was already gone.

She glanced down at the roll of ryo he had left her.

_Damn, just how much money did he give me?_

_

* * *

_

"What the fuck does that mean?"

Kimimaro groaned as Naruto shouted his complaints once again. It was the next day and Kimimaro was planning to start teaching the boy, but it seemed like a lost cause. And damn, the trash sure was _loud_. He honestly couldn't understand how someone related to himself could turn out to be so damn annoying.

It was currently around six in the afternoon and Kimimaro had been trying to show and explain to Naruto the basics of the Shikatsumyaku for the last three hours. The boy just wasn't getting it though, no matter how simple Kimimaro tried to make it. Not that this was completely unconceivable, the Kaguya bloodlimit was a complicated technique, even Kimimaro did not know everything about it.

At least he wasn't forced to look at that horrendous orange jumpsuit any longer…

Still, the trash's incompetence was infuriating.

"Oi, bastard are you even _listening_?"

"Shut. Up." Kimimaro ground out. "We'll move on, your tiny brain obviously cannot comprehend the complications of the Shikatsumyaku."

"Hey!"

Kimimaro ignored him and continued, "What do you know about Chakra control?"

Naruto stopped his complaining and blinked, "Well, I know I have to use chakra for jutsu, right? So I have to control it to do a jutsu…" His face scrunched up as he thought, "But I dunno what that has to do with anything!"

"Fool," Kimimaro scoffed, "Chakra control is much more than just channeling energy for jutsu. You can't just pump energy into a jutsu without control or you'll waste all of your energy."

"Huh," Naruto scratched his head, "I remember Iruka-sensei saying something like that. He always said that I wasn't good at the whole control thing though."

"Obviously, if you can't give me a half decent explanation on chakra you probably won't be to control it at all." Kimimaro sighed and shook his head. "Trash… the fundamentals of the Shikatsumyaku is based upon the complete control of one's chakra. It's necessary for the manipulation of your skeleton and the formation of your bone blades. If you can't control your chakra then that is why you can't control the activation of your Shikatsumyaku."

It took a moment for Naruto to take all of this in. After a while he replied, "So… if I can find a way to control my chakra then I can take out that bone thing-"

"_Shikatsumyaku_,"

Naruto waved his hand dismissively, "Fine. So I'll be able to draw out my Shikatsumyaku at any time though, right?"

Kimimaro coughed into his hand and cleared his throat. "Yes."

The ex sound nin noticed Naruto look down at his hand. He clenched it into a fist and stared for a while longer before he said anything, "Do I really want this Shikatsumyaku thing? Isn't it like cheating…? To use something like this to get stronger?"

Kimimaro was in Naruto's face before the boy could react. He focused his steely gaze on the genin with anger.

"_Cheating_? There is no cheating in the shinobi world, boy. Realize that anything you can do to become stronger is what will keep you alive when the people around you are dropping dead. What you possess is not simply an ordinary _kekkai genkai_."

Kimimaro backed away before he continued, but kept Naruto froze with his stare. "What you possess is a blessing or a curse. The Shikatsumyaku is not like other bloodlimits in that not every user that has it will be able to simply control it. If you are strong enough to conquer it, you will see, it is not a simple skill to learn. If you are weak like so many other trash ninja, well, you'll end up killing yourself or someone else."

Kimimaro finished and watched Naruto contemplate what he had said in silence. The boy was scowling, and he could tell that Naruto was struggling with the decision. Heh, Kimimaro didn't understand the difficulty, it was either become stronger or not, but he decided to remain silent.

Just when Kimimaro thought he'd never speak, Naruto stood.

"Fine, I'll do whatever it takes to become stronger. I can't become Hokage otherwise. I have to be the strongest to be able to protect everybody."

His eyes met Kimimaro's and the ex-sound nin couldn't help but notice the cold resolve in those blue orbs…

"So how do I learn to control my chakra?"

Kimimaro grinned slightly, "I believe there is an exercise that you might rather _enjoy._"

Naruto swallowed, "What's it called?"

"Tree-walking"

* * *

By tree-walking, Kimimaro must have meant hell…

Naruto cursed as his legs gave out and he collapsed in front of a particularly large oak tree. Said tree had several imprinted foot marks in it. Naruto had trouble repressing his chakra enough to keep from puncturing the tree's surface. Hell, he had completely destroyed the first tree he tried to climb.

As he lay there, trying to work the fire out of his exhausted legs, he looked up at the oak. He'd only been able to get half way up the tree before falling so far, and he had been at it for hours. Kimimaro had left long ago, leaving Naruto to his practice.

The sadistic bastard.

Naruto could hardly move he was so drained. His legs were jelly underneath him and his arms felt like they weighed a thousand pounds.

Idly, he wondered if unlocking his kekkei genkai had made him heavier. His drowsy mind marked it off as a discussion for another time. The grass had suddenly gotten so soft underneath his head…

'_If you are weak like so many other trash ninja, well, you'll end up killing yourself or someone else.'_

Kimimaro's cold words from earlier washed through Naruto's conscious with about as much subtlety as a tidal wave. Soon he was sitting up, looking miserably at the large oak. He couldn't quit now…

He groaned and forced himself to stumble to his feet. Kimimaro, the bastard might not be Naruto's most favorite person in the world, but he was right. If Naruto didn't get stronger, he would never be able to control the damn Shikatsumyaku. He could even hurt someone he cared about.

A Hokage's sole duty was to protect the people of his village, so Naruto couldn't have that be happening.

He snatched a kunai out of his pocket to mark his spot on the tree and took a deep breath. He formed the ram sign with his hands and reached for his chakra, directing the life energy down to his feet. With a grunt, he charged the tree.

He would show the asshole just who he was calling _trash_.

* * *

Kimimaro jumped as a kunai implanted itself in the dirt next to him.

Naruto grinned widely, patting himself on the back for his marksmanship. "Hey asshole!" He called down from his perch. "I've got this tree-walking stuff down!"

It had been two days since Naruto had first attempted the tree walking exercise. He had been at it ever since, the only real intermissions he had taken were occasional meetings with team 7—where he was subject to more horror, D-ranked missions—and of course, ramen breaks.

Yesterday Kimimaro had stopped by for a couple hours to observe him silently. The white haired ninja hadn't said a word to Naruto the entire time, but he heard the man muttering to himself occasionally. Mostly it was when Naruto would blow off a piece of the tree by channeling too much chakra to his feet. Needless to say, Kimimaro wasn't much help.

Today he had gotten to the top for the first time. That was an hour ago. Now this was his third time up the tree and he had barely jogged. That was mighty impressive, he thought.

Naruto was brought out of his musings as a kunai whizzed by his face, leaving a shallow cut in his cheek. He jumped in surprise and looked back down to the base of the tree to see Kimimaro fuming. He realized that it had been his own kunai that the ex-sound shinobi had tossed at him.

"It would not be wise for you to try something like that again," Kimimaro shouted up at him.

Naruto grinned and leaped from his perch, descending branch to branch down from the tree. He landed and dusted himself off in front of his instructor. "You need to loosen up," he said dryly.

Kimimaro responded with a grunt before coughing into his hand.

Naruto shook his head. Kimimaro really did not have a sense of humor. Then again, Naruto had surprised himself by even joking with the man. He had after all, beaten the shit out of him in the forest. Despite that though, the man was _teaching_ Naruto; one on one instruction was not something Naruto had ever gotten before. Hell, just the tree-walking exercise was more useful than anything he had ever been taught by someone else before.

And he was excited to learn more.

"So what do I do now?" Naruto asked, rocking back and forth on his heels and trying not to seem too anxious.

Kimimaro coughed "Your tree walking is mediocre," He stated, "You can work on that later though. Your chakra control is still awful, but you should at least be able to draw out a _Koukotsu Heijin._"

"Um.. huh?"

The shinobi sighed, "It's the name for pulling a bone out of your arm with Shikatsumyaku. Just try to draw out the _Koukotsu, _trash."

Naruto ignored the annoying name for now, "So just like before?" he asked.

Kimimaro shook his head, "No, what do you think I taught you tree walking for? Now focus your chakra in your arm like you would if you are about to climb a tree. Then push it outward. The quicker you do it, the less it will hurt."

At that Naruto hesitated remembering the pain last time he had drawn out the Shikatsumyaku. He shook his head free of those thoughts as quickly as he could, it wouldn't do any good to think about it. He would just deal with the pain, it was necessary to get stronger.

"Okay," He let out a breath and focused, "Here goes nothing."

Naruto felt down into his chakra reserves, focusing on how the energy flowed through his body, collecting it, and then directing that which he could towards the ulna bone in his right arm. He wasn't quite sure how much chakra he should use, but he settled on the lesser side. He wouldn't want the bone to fire completely out of his arm like it did against Kakashi.

Once he decided he had enough, he straightened out his arm so that he wouldn't stab himself. _Alright_, he thought, and released the chakra, letting it flow outward like Kimimaro had told him.

Instantly his whole arm tensed up. He grit his teeth as fire raced through his forearm. The muscles clenched and unclenched against his will, convulsing as a large mass slowly pushed its way out from between the sinew and tendons. Naruto couldn't help but let out a breath as the bone broke the skin with a sickening squelch. Once it had breached the surface it slid out much faster, and within a moment it had reached a full two and a half feet.

Naruto stopped releasing the chakra and took a couple deep, heaving breaths. Damn that hurt. It was a lot smoother than the last time though. And it might just be him, but the pain didn't cripple him this time.

"Wh-what do you think?" Naruto gasped.

"Too slow," Kimimaro observed. "If it takes you that long in a battle some trash ninja will run you through before you realize it." The white haired shinobi took a glance at Naruto's arm. "The _Koukotsu_ itself appears strong and sharp though."

Naruto blinked at the last compliment. He was so surprised he completely forgot about the fact that Kimimaro had insulted him almost in the same sentence.

"Um, thanks." Naruto scratched his head.

His reply was a cough.

Deciding to move on, Naruto raised his _Koukotsu_ _Heijin_. "So how the hell do I get rid of this anyway? Do I keep pulling them out? Isn't that like, I dunno, bad for me?"

Kimimaro shook his head. "The Shikotsumyaku is self-regenerating," The bone-user slapped his palm on his forehead when he saw the blank look on Naruto's face. "It means that the bones in your body come back naturally."

Realization struck Naruto's face, "Oh, so no matter how many bones I pull out I can keep getting more? Cool!"

"Well, no. But yes." Kimimaro sighed, "Just don't worry about that for now."

"Fine." Naruto swung his _Koukotsu_ around experimentally, "This seems really light for being a bone and all."

Kimimaro nodded, "Yes, certain bones are lighter and sharper than others, designed for offense." He gestured at Naruto's arm. "That is the ulna bone, the main structural bone in your forearm. It is the primary weapon the Shikatsumyaku uses. Other bones though, are much heavier and stronger."

"Hmm, interesting…" Naruto drawled, not really paying attention. He was more focused on inspecting the edge of his ulna, when a sudden thought came to him. "Hey, since I'm using something that looks like a sword, I need to learn Kenjutsu right?"

"Yes."

"When do I do that?"

Kimimaro seemed to think about it for a minute. Then suddenly there was a wet sound as a three foot long _Koukotsu_ slid out from his left elbow. He ripped the bone out with his right hand and twirled it a couple of times.

Naruto swallowed.

* * *

A/N: Hmm, seems that alterego is back from the dead, no? To all my loyal fans, I sincerely apologize. Not much else I can say. Recent inspiration has hit me, so I went with it. So hope you all enjoy the chapter. As always tell me what you think please. I hope it isn't too rusty.

Next chapter is the start of the Wave Arc. I've been looking forward to these next couple of chapters since I started the story actually. I'm a little bit excited.

See ya next time.


	5. Waves of Change

Summary:Something changed in Naruto after the fight with Mizuki. The exposure to Kyuubi's altered his dormant genes, making them more dominant and unlocking his bloodline. After, when Naruto's hair starts losing its color and weird things happen during his genin test, the Third knows what he has to do. He sends a message to the last remaining member of Naruto's clan, the only one that can help him control his new abilities. But how will Kimimaro react when he finds out that he has living family?

**White Hair**  
**alterego94**  
**Chapter Five:**  
**_Waves of Change_**

He sat with his head in his hands. The slight parting of his lips to release a deep sigh and rising and falling of his shoulders with every breath was the only movement made by Naruto as he awaited departure.

His headache hadn't left him yet.

For the most part he had been trying to ignore it. Ever since the discovery of his Shikatsumyaku the migraines had been coming and going. Kimimaro told him it was his skull reforming, thickening with the bone structure of the Kaguya clan, which was apparently different from the standard skeletal system.

Personally, Naruto thought it was all the big words that was making his head hurt.

"Hey, dobe."

Sasuke's grunt caught his attention.

"Huh?" Naruto blinked, readjusting himself to reality after his musings. "What is it?"

The raven haired boy hesitated for a second before responding, "What happened. During the genin test with Kakashi?"

Naruto scowled, his mood suddenly soured. He had made sure to avoid thinking about that specific incident lately. If that bone had come out just a couple more inches the other way… He shook his head and growled.

"Ah, that's none of your business!" He snapped.

Sasuke looked taken aback for a second. "Hm," He shrugged his shoulders and was silent.

Naruto turned and tried to put it out of his mind when Sakura caught his eye. She held his gaze for a second before looking away, without so much as a word. Not even a threat about the way he was speaking to Sasuke.

She seemed to have been taking him more seriously lately. Actually, it almost seemed as if being around him and Sasuke frightened her.

"Sakura-chan," He cursed himself for still giving her the affectionate suffix, but he supposed she needed it. Besides, he couldn't totally help favoring her a bit. He smiled, "Aren't you excited for our first real mission?"

She gave him a look, then smiled back slowly. "Of course."

"That's the spirit." Naruto declared, forgetting himself for a second, "after all, this means we are finally going to be considered real ninja!"

He pumped his fist and was satisfied to see her smile a bit more sincerely. He was just about to continue on his rant when a dull voice spoke out,

"That's probably the dumbest thing I've ever heard." Tazuna paused for a moment to take another swig of sake, then pointed a calloused hand at Naruto. "No one is ever going to consider you brats real ninjas."

Naruto scowled, "Hey old man, it's a little early for a drink don't you think?"

The old carpenter just shrugged and took another drink. Completely content to drink his morning away. It was starting to look like they might have to carry him along on this mission as well.

"I just want to go home…."

Naruto barely caught the old man mumbling into his bottle. The quiet state took him aback. That scruffy old drunk was whining about going home, really? But only now did he notice the solemn gaze into the bottle, the tremors in his hands, the worried wrinkles upon his brow.

He hadn't even noticed before. Tazuna suddenly seemed like a tormented man, facing demons of his own. Naruto could relate to that.

"Hey, what the hell are you staring at, punk?"

Nevermind, he was still just a belligerent fuck.

"Watch it, geezer!"

* * *

"How much longer do we have Kakashi-sensei?"

Sakura's question was more of a whine than anything, but it reflected the way Naruto was feeling. His headaches hadn't bothered him much during the trip. But they had been walking for a good day and a half. It was nearing the afternoon now, a solid six hours into their day of travel.

Naruto wouldn't normally be bothered by the whole thing, it was just the fact that they had to crawl along, seeing as there was no way the old drunk could keep up with the three of them. They could have made it to Wave Country in two days if it wasn't for him; now it was going to take them nearly six days.

It was driving him crazy.

His nerves had been all over the place. He needed to do something besides walk. And walk. And walk.

But, at least his headache had left him.

"Hm," Kakashi looked back from his position ahead of the group. Strolling along, with his always-present book. "I suppose we could stop to rest if you'd like."

"Ah, thank Kami!" Tazuna tossed his heavy pack in Naruto's direction, "Hey, hold that would ya?"

Without further to do he had propped himself up against a tree with his hands behind his head, straw hat down over his eyes, "Damn, I thought we would never stop walking."

"Hey, what the hell do you think I am, your mother?" Naruto yelled throwing the pack back at Tazuna. He shook his head and sighed, looking to Kakashi. "This drunk bastard is really starting to bug me, sensei."

"Naruto," Kakashi gave him a smile, "Tazuna pays us, so we put up with him. That's what it means to be a ninja."

"That's stupid." He crossed his arms.

Kakashi simply shrugged and went back to his book.

Naruto sighed and leaned against a nearby oak. This was going to be one hell of a trip, he could tell already. He was glad however, that he was finally gaining back some sense of normality since that fateful encounter with his long lost brother in the forest.

Gah, that guy.

He still wasn't quite sure if that night had been a blessing or a curse.

Kimmimaro himself was hard to handle, rough around the edges as he was; but to throw in the development of his own bloodlimit… Naruto hated those pretentious assholes like the Uchihas, who thought they were only good because of their blood. Now he was one of them, and it almost made him sick.

Not that he would ever mention that to his pseudo-sensei/brother/fucking-scary-man.

With the thought of Kimmimaro came the memories of his training. It had been about two weeks from when he started instruction with the ex-sound nin, and he felt like he'd learned a lot.

Most of it was more chakra exercises. Although, along with that he had drawn out his _Koukotsu Heijin_ several more times, managing to stay conscience on all but one attempt. Mostly he stuck with the ulna, a pain he was familiar with and he had come to bear a bit better.

Kimmimaro however, decided that he was not pushing himself enough, and asked him to take out his femur bone, from the knee.

Never again.

The pain had been so intense, it was indescribable. He passed out almost straight away, much to his embarrassment. Kimmimaro told him that he had to reinsert the bone, as it was protruding about four inches out of his kneecap when he passed out.

Somehow, Naruto thought he could find other ways to survive as a ninja that didn't involve pulling the largest bone in his body out of his leg.

"Alright," Kakashi said suddenly, "It's time to move."

His voice had an edge to it.

"What, it's only been fifteen damn minutes!" argued Tazuna, swinging his sake bottle in anguish.

"Enough, we need to get going." Kakashi snapped, surprising everyone. "If you aren't coming you can find someone else to be your escort."

"Agh," Tazuna waved his hand and started gathering his pack. "Alright, gimme a second."

Naruto was disturbed at the encounter. Kakashi was usually so laid back, he hadn't said a word until then. There must be something…

"Kakashi-sensei.."

"Not now, let's go. Naruto, Sasuke, take the front. I'll take the back behind Sakura and Tazuna"

With that he started walking. The pace was picked up quite a bit, enough that Tazuna was gasping to keep up. Surprisingly though, he kept his discomforts to himself this time.

Kakashi made them stay ahead, despite Tazuna's complaints to hang back. Naruto strode up a bit to catch up to Sasuke, who was a solid two paces ahead of Sakura.

"What's up with him?" Naruto asked under his breath to the Uchiha, with a non-descript nod to their sensei.

"Hm," Sasuke gave him the usual cool stare, then gazed ahead. "He's worried."

With that they walked in silence for a moment, continuing down the dirt path for a ways, through the grove and over a stream. Naruto cursed as he narrowly avoided a puddle.

"Yeah, I just wonder what about."

_Wait, a puddle?_

The group's progress was stopped by a surprised shriek by Sakura. Naruto in Sasuke turned just in time to see Kakashi, enveloped by chains.

A ninja stood on either side of him. They wore large metal gauntlets and the crossed out symbol of wave on their hiate-ate.

_Missing nin, _thought Naruto, _but why…_

His thoughts were cut off by a sickening sound, and before he could react the ninja yanked on their chains.

Kakashi was ripped apart.

Naruto's heart stopped, and when felt like an eternity his feet were nailed to the ground and his blood was cold.

It was the exact feeling he'd had in the woods the first time he had run into Kimmimaro. That realization hit him like a truck. In a split second he remembered that moment. Being helpless paralyzed from his fear. Pathetic. Trash, just like he had been told.

He grit his teeth.

He refused to be that again. That scared little boy that ran into a sound ninja in the woods. He would not fall victim to his own fear again.

With that quick promise he forced himself to move.

At this point the two ninja were sprinting towards the rest of the group, and he was able to get a good look at them.

They wore heavy black gauntlets with a bladed chain dragging between the two of them. They looked to be around Kakashi's age and stood just as tall. They wore hitai-ate with the symbol of wave, crossed out with a kunai.

Naruto pushed past a frozen Sakura and sprinted forward. He noticed Sasuke a step ahead of him, but he ignored the pang he got realizing the Uchiha had reacted quicker than he did. With a few quick tosses Sasuke had stuck a kunai to a nearby oak and anchored the chain deep into the wood.

Naruto pushed toward them, but Sasuke beat him there, leaping forward and kicking both of the two ninja in the chin, breaking the chain between them and leaping back.

"Ah, what the hell!?"

The Nin to the left swore and stumbled to get his balance. He barely got his footing before Naruto got to him.

What happened next, Naruto still doesn't totally understand. He was a ball of emotion. Fear, anger, anguish, everything was coursing through him. The only thing he wanted to do was hurt these men. No, he wanted to kill them. Like they had killed his sensei.

With a yell he brought his fist forward, full sprint, torqueing his body with the motion. He caught the ninja in the side of the jaw. There was a loud crack, the missing nin collapsed and was totally still.

Naruto stood, stupefied over him.

"Y-you killed him!"

He looked over to the wide eyes of the other attacker. Then back to the still body before him. He felt like he was about to vomit.

"I'll fucking kill you!"

The ninja's gauntlet was a foot from Naruto's face when there was a puff of smoke and Kakashi appeared behind the ninja, catching him by the throat. With a quick pinch the ninja was out cold, and Kakashi turned to his pupil.

"Naruto, you are just full of surprises aren't you?"

* * *

A large man stood quietly upon the branch of a large tree. In his eyes was cold, unrefined fury. A long hitai-ate sat crooked upon his head. It lay low upon his furrowed brow, and a deep gash dug through a worn symbol of wave. Bandages covered his arms and a large hunk of metal slung across his back, a gargantuan piece of death that was signature of the seven swordsmen of the mist.

Zabuza was truly a demon, as the stories told.

A cold wind blew through the forest, rustling his headband. A ninja wearing a shinobi mask suddenly appeared next to him on the branch. The figure was dressed in a kimono and long dark hair down his slender back.

"Haku."

The greeting was as much as could be expected from the missing nin.

The figure in the kimono stirred and pulled out a handful of senbon. "They will be here soon."

"Heh," Zabuza scoffed at that and rested his hand upon the pommel of his sword. "Put those toys away. This will be my fight."

The mask stared at him for a moment.

"As you wish."

"Don't get smart with me, Haku." Zabuza spat, and rested his cold eyes upon the boy beside him. "It's been too long since I've had any competition against real ninja."

He clenched his fist and his body suddenly tensed.

"I'll enjoy taking their heads!"

* * *

Naruto sighed and trudged on. He was leading the group once again, and all of the walking was starting to get the best of him; boredom was beginning to set in. Of course, with nothing else to do his mind began to wander.

It had been a full day since their encounter with the so-called demon brothers. Naruto was still a little shaken from that experience.

Turns out that fucker that he had hit wasn't dead, but Kakashi had told him and the other genin that he had been knocked unconscious and hadn't awoke by the time they had left. Not that Naruto was really concerned about the missing nins well-being, but still, doing that with a single blow was not something he could have seen himself doing before.

Now that he thought about it, he had never considered the fact that he could kill someone in the next couple of days.

It was a humbling thought.

It came to him with a start. Even with all of the days spent daydreaming, all of the years spent boasting about becoming Hokage, it had never even occurred to him that he would have to kill to get there. He had never realized that it wasn't all about saving people; it was about ending people too.

He glanced down at his hands, clenching and unclenching his fists, and wondered how long it would take. How long it would take for them to be stained.

"Naruto?"

He shook himself out of his musings for the moment and turned to see a pair of big green eyes staring back at him, "Sakura?"

"The mist is getting thicker." Sakura said quietly, and she reached out and grasped his tunic. He started at the touch. She had never done that before. Yet her voice sounded.. desperate. "It's scaring me, Naruto."

Now he realized just what a little girl she was. Her eyes were full of anxiety, glancing every which way, but always coming back to meet his, as if looking for his usual bashfulness. Looking for some sort of reassurance. She was probably hoping he would laugh and tell her about the future Hokage protecting her and nothing to worry about and blah, blah, blah. It struck him now as kind of pathetic of a ninja to look for such things.

Ah, but he could never turn down a lady. He was starting to sound too much like Kimmimaro for his liking. Not everyone was trash.

He gave her a grin. "Don't worry 'bout it, Sakura. We're ninja now, we can all handle ourselves."

She looked at him for a moment longer before nodding and smiling, "You're right Nar-"

"Get down!"

Kakashi's shout interrupted the exchange and Naruto felt himself being roughly shoved to the ground, just as a huge chunk of metal went cutting through the air above him.

Was that a sword?

Naruto rolled to his feet instantly and turned to follow the path of the projectile. It was indeed a sword, shocking as it was. It was taller than Naruto himself, and had to weigh a couple hundred pounds. The massive weapon continued on its path; spiraling through the air until coming to a sudden rest in an outreached hand. Naruto couldn't fathom how much strength such a feat would demand.

The ninja who had caught the sword was an imposing figure, wrapped in bandages he stood taller than Kakashi, with rippling muscles and an evil look in his eye. The killer intent that flooded the area was comparable to what Naruto had to deal with on a daily basis from Kimimaro.

"Hehehe," The man's chuckle was humorless and dark. He seemed to examine the group for a moment before his gaze rested on the genin group leader. "This is a treat isn't it? Three punks and the legendary copycat ninja, master of 1,000 jutsu."

The ninja slung his huge sword over his back. "There's quite a bounty on you Kakashi, I'll be happy to take your head."

Naruto flinched at those words as he struggled to understand what was going on. Copycat ninja? He had never heard Kakashi called that, and for the life of him he couldn't understand why he would be referred to as such. And this new ninja... He had the sinking feeling that he would not be as easily dispatched as the last two missing nins. The fact that he had that damn honking sword on his back alone was enough to make Naruto wary.

"Zabuza." Kakashi drawled. But his voice had an edge that had never been heard before by his genin before. A dangerous taint, not to be trifled with. "The demon of the mist, youngest of the seven swordsmen."

Everyone was thinking it, Sakura was the one to ask. "Demon of the mist?"

Now Zabuza laughed again, a maniacal, menacing sound that echoed off of the trees and seemed to silence everything else. "Yes, a demon. That is what they call me isn't it? See kids, It isn't quite so simple to pass the genin test in Kirigakure."

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean is," He paused here to cast his cruel gaze over the group again, "the other academy students, I killed them. All of them." Another laugh, "That was how I became a ninja, by killing all the others."

The idea of such a horrendous act hit Naruto like a truck. He couldn't fathom killing one of his academy mates, not even now that he was a full-fledged ninja, let alone all of them. How could someone ask a child to do such a terrible thing?

A quick glance to his teammates told him that they had the same thoughts on the subject. Sakura had turned pale and looked like she might even pass out. It was then that Naruto realized that must have been the ninja's intention on telling them that. To frighten them and make them ineffective in a fight.

He grit his teeth and tried to flush the fear out of his mind, he refused to be subdued by someone's mind games. He placed his hand on a kunai and tried to keep his fortitude.

Kakashi seemed to notice the gesture for he put out a hand, "Stay back, you're no match for an opponent of this caliber."

The silver haired jounin stepped forward and pulled up his hitai-ate, revealing the eye underneath for the first time.

Naruto's breath hitched. It was no normal eye. It looked like it had three pupils, in a pin wheel pattern. An ugly scar marred Kakashi's cheek and eye lid, slicing vertically up his head and making the odd eye stick out like an old war wound.

"Ah, I get to see the eye of Sharingan Kakashi so soon? I'm honored, really."

_Sharingan, that's what it looks like? _Naruto filed the information away. Somehow, he had a feeling that Kakashi wasn't supposed to have that eye. Subconsciously, he noticed that the color had drained out of Sasuke's face.

"But enough talk. It's time for me to kill that old man" Zabuza gave them a crooked glance, "But I supposed your heads will have to fall first."

With those words he flashed and disappeared faster than Naruto's eyes could follow. From the woods his voice spat,

"_**Kiri Gakure no Jutsu**_"

A thick fog descended upon the group, making it hard for Naruto to see his teammates through the mist.

"Quickly, surround Tazuna and protect him!" Kakashi barked as he made a hand signal and released the full extent of his ki.

The killer intent that poured out of Kakashi then took Naruto by surprise. It could have even matched Kimimaro on his bad days. Once again, if not for that encounter in the woods, he most likely would have been paralyzed by his fear.

Naruto dashed over to his comrades, noticing they had paled.

"Hey, teme," He grinned, "I know you aren't afraid, are you?"

Sasuke looked to him aghast, then snarled, not deigning Naruto's accusation with a response.

"Don't worry," Kakashi called back, "I won't let any of you die. I'll protect you all with my life." The jounin's statement was resolute, and instilled a bit more confidence into Naruto.

"Is that a promise!?"

Zabuza suddenly appeared between all four of them before anyone could react. As Naruto turned to look his giant sword was already in motion, ready to bear down death on the lot of them.

Just as Tazuna was to be cleaved in two Kakashi appeared, blocking the strike with one kunai and burying another into the missing nin's chest.

"Kakashi sensei!" Sakura exclaimed. Her tone made it clear she was in awe.

Naruto knew it wasn't over that easily. "Behind you!"

With that the supposed Zabuza melted into a puddle and another appeared behind Kakashi, swinging an arc with Kubikiri and slicing Kakashi in two, only for him to dissolve into water as well.

"Don't move," A kunai appeared at Zabuza's neck as Kakashi came into view once again.

"Hahahaha," Zabuza laughed. His cackling echoed out into the mist as he continued, "How impressive, that you can copy my techniques in the mist as well. You had your clone do the talking just to distract me didn't you."

_That was a clone?_ Naruto had not even seen Kakashi make the switch, nor make any hand signals. Could he really be on such a higher playing field that it was hard for Naruto to even _watch_ him fight? In the back of his mind, Naruto also wondered if Kakashi's words had held any meaning, or if they were simply a distraction. He was beginning to realize just how little he knew of his sensei.

"Enough, it's over."

Kakashi's voice brought Naruto back to the fight.

"Maybe you don't understand, You can't beat me with your cheap imitations."

After those words Kakashi jerked the kunai, slitting Zabuza's throat. Kubikiri came swinging out of the mist just the fake melted. Kakashi turned just in time to duck under the blow, but the swordsman kept his momentum going with his sword. He planted Kubikiri into the ground and twisted his body, punting Kakashi across the clearing with a solid kick.

Kakashi came to a stop in the lake and before he could recover Zabuza was standing over him.

"You fool, _**Suiro no Jutsu**_" The swordsman placed a hand over Kakashi's head as water sprang from the lake, forming a sphere around the ninja and Zabuza's outreached arm; a water prison. "This little technique is quite handy don't you think? There's no escape for you now." He looked back across the water and started to make hand signs with his free hand. "Now I just have to take care of those brats."

Naruto met Kakashi's wide-eyed gaze from across the clearing as a Zabuza clone sprang out of the lake. "Run!" he called, "You can't fight him, you're no match! He can't move while I'm trapped here so take Tazuna and leave!"

No, they couldn't leave Kakashi. It wasn't in Naruto's programming to run, either. He had shot down Kakashi's proposition in his own mind before the words had finished coming out of his mouth. He looked over to his comrades to see them frozen, unsure what to do. Sasuke had a determined look on his face, while Sakura and Tazuna looked like they had wet themselves. Expressions Naruto could have guessed they'd have.

"Naruto!"

Sakura's exclamation was his only warning as he averted his eyes back toward Kakashi and was met with a boot to the jaw.

The blow sent him careening across the ground. He climbed back to his feet as quickly as he could, but he was seeing stars and the metal taste of blood was filling his mouth. Naruto was suddenly reconsidering his idea of staying and fighting. He was no match for Zabuza, the ninja was twice his size and moved almost faster than he could follow.

"Haha," Zabuza howled from the lake, "That's right, run little wannabe ninja! Run away! You aren't meant for this job. You just put on a pretty forehead protector and pretend to be ninja, you make me sick!"

Run. Maybe they should run. What were they staying for? Kakashi was trapped, he was their only hope. This was a real ninja they were fighting, like he had said, not just someone who donned a hitai-ate because they liked how it looked.

With that thought he realized he no longer had his on, his forehead was exposed to the world, and more importantly, the two crimson red dots upon it. Panicking he looked around the clearing, only to see the Zabuza clone walk a few steps and plant his foot on the hitai-ate and grind it into the dirt.

"You don't deserve this," The pseudo-swordsman spat.

_Trash._ As Naruto stared as his lost forehead protector the words of Zabuza reverberated in his head as those of Kimimaro.

_Wannabe ninja._

Want to be. That was all he was, wasn't it? A fucking child with a dream. Now a grown man was waving a hunk of metal at him and telling him to leave, why wouldn't he listen_? Pathetic._ That's what Kimimaro would call him right now. _Dobe._ That's what Sasuke would say. _I thought you wanted to be Hokage?_ Kakashi.

His only prized possession was being ground into the dirt, and he was just standing there.

"_I'll stop calling you trash when you prove to me that you are worthy to be called ninja"_

Kimimaro's words from training rang in his head suddenly. But what could he do? Zabuza was his better in every way. Him, Sasuke and Sakura would be defeated in minutes without the swordsman breaking a sweat. That much Naruto was sure of.

Nobody believed in him, so why shouldn't he leave? What was he losing, a sensei that did nothing but provoke him and a stupid headband?

Headband….

"_Iruka-sensei can I borrow you're hitai-ate?" _

_A smile._

"_Don't be ridiculous. You can have this one for yourself, consider it a graduating present!"_

"_Really?!"_

"_Of course, just don't forget." A serious face and a hand on the shoulder, "This is a symbol of you becoming a ninja and growing up. This means you must protect everyone in the village, and everyone special to you at all times, understand?"_

A symbol. There was someone after all, Iruka-sensei. Without that hitai-ate he wasn't a ninja. He wasn't just letting himself down, but everyone in the village he had sworn to protect, his team, and most importantly; Iruka. The one who believed in him.

"ARGH!"

"Naruto, no!"

The Zabuza clone laughed again, "What an idiot, did you really think you could just attack me like that?'

Naruto rubbed his bruised chest and spat, staining the ground with blood. He had gotten what he wanted.

"Naruto!" Sakura yelled, "What are you thinking, all of that over a stupid forehead protector! You could have died!"

Naruto grinned and tied his hitai-ate where it belonged. He ignored Sakura, and looked to Sasuke, who gave him a nod, approving of his reckless actions.

"Oi, Sasuke." Naruto flashed the raven haired genin a signature fox smile. "I've got an idea, come here."

The conversation he had with Sasuke was as brief as he could make it. He kept an eye on Zabuza the whole time, but the missing ninja seemed amused; content to let them try as they might to free their trapped sensei.

The bastard was so arrogant.

"What are you doing? Run away, this fight was over the moment I was trapped! Our mission is to protect Tazuna, now go!" Kakashi shouted from his prison, pleading.

Naruto glanced back behind him, "Old man?"

Tazuna seemed surprisingly somber and calm. "I'm not going to stop you. I got you all into this mess."

"Alright!" The anticipation was building up, Naruto was getting excited. He saw Sasuke was reacting the same way.

"Hahahaha," Zabuza laughed again, "Fine, keep playing ninja. I'll enjoy the laugh while you're dead!"

With that the clone dashed forward, appearing beside Sasuke. He swiftly buried his fist into the genin's gut, then swept his feet out from under him with a kick. Sasuke was too dazed to react as the swordsman placed a foot on his chest and readied kubikiri.

"_**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!**_"

Naruto finished his hand seals and nearly a hundred clones appeared in a circle around Zabuza. With a collective battle cry they all charged the missing nin, overwhelming him by sheer number and allowing Sasuke a chance to get up.

The clones managed to bury the Zabuza clone in their depth as they rained down uncoordinated blows upon him. They were quickly dismounted with a yell and a swing of kubikiri. All of Naruto's clones were dispatch by the sheer force of the swing, and the blonde himself was sent flying once again.

He rolled to his feet quickly and reached into his pack. "Sasuke!" He yelled as he tossed him a large shuriken.

The Uchiha's eyes lit up as he opened the windmill shuriken and leapt into the air. Zabuza remained rooted in place, unworried as Sasuke wound up and let it fly.

The Fuma shuriken cut through the air with incredible speed, flying right past the clone Zabuza and straight for the original, still immobilized by the water prison. The swordsman's eyes widened for a moment before he reached out and caught the shuriken in mid-flight.

Zabuza's smug look was ruined when he realized what had happened though. The second shuriken of the _**Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**_continued on course, straight for the missing nin. Zabuza quickly leaped into the air and ducked his legs, dodging the shuriken by inches.

"STILL NOT GOOD ENOUGH!" He roared.

Naruto grinned from across the clearing, and suddenly burst into smoke.

"What?"

Naruto released his _**bunshin no jutsu**_ just as Zabuza realized what was happening. Quickly he focused and called upon shikotsumyaku, pulling out a small portion of his fulma through his palm in the shape of a dagger—the pain kept him from pulling any more bone out.

"Take this!"

He tried to ignore the searing in his arm and the blood staining his clothes, and threw the dagger with all of his might. The weight of the bone made it sail through the air with great speed. By the time Zabuza had turned to look it was embedding itself deep into his shoulder.

Naruto rose out of the water in time to see Zabuza curse and stagger, releasing the jutsu that was imprisoning Kakashi. The bone had sunk deep into his shoulder tissue and blood was dripping into the water. A tendon must have been torn as well because his right arm lay dangling useless by his side.

"Fucking brat!" Zabuza had fury in his eyes as he raised the fuma shuriken still held in his left arm. Naruto started to panic. He knew there was no way he could dodge, floating helplessly in the lake.

Just before the shuriken left the swordsman's hand however, Kakashi had responded, reaching out and blocking the blade with the metal backing on his gloves. His clothes and hair were drenched with the water of the lake, and he had a look in his eye that was uncharacteristic for the silver haired jounin, at least from Naruto's perspective.

Kakashi looked dangerous. He looked like a killer.

"Naruto…. Good job." Kakashi's words were slow. Like he surprised himself by saying them.

"Gah!" Zabuza leaped back, away from Kakashi. "The damn brats got lucky, that's all." The swordsman dropped the shuriken into the lake as he spoke, then made a hand sign with his still functioning arm. "Looks like I'll have to wait until next time to kill you all."

Before he could shunpo away however, a kunai directed at his head forced him to roll to his left, only to be met by a vicious knee by Kakashi, sending the swordsman sprawling.

"I don't think so." Kakashi's eyes were narrow as he pulled out another kunai, "I can't risk letting you go. I won't let my team be jeopardized again."

Zabuza's eyes widened as he was forced to dodge another kunai. He gasped, side stepped to the left and drew kubikiri. "You obviously don't know who you're dealing with, Kakashi."

"Zabuza, I see your future." Kakashi drawled as he stared eye to eye with the swordsman. To Naruto it looked as if the Sharingan eye had started to spin. Zabuza suddenly flinched, and staggered back, as if he was seeing something hidden to all the others. He looked toward Kakashi with a look of utter disbelief.

"What the fuck is this,-"

"-more of your tricks?"

"-more of your tricks?"

The last words were finished by both Kakashi and Zabuza at once. It seemed as though Kakashi were reading Zabuza's mind. How was he doing that? Naruto watched the exchange from the lake, still floating helplessly.

"Face it, you're already dead, Zabuza."

"What are you doing to-" The swordsman's words were cut short before either he or Kakashi had made a move.

Two needles seemed to fly out of nowhere. They were around eight inches long and thicker than ordinary procedural needles. They pierced through Zabuza's neck with frightening precision and he dropped to the ground instantly; lifeless.

"You're right, he was dead." Suddenly a ninja appeared. Modest in stature and not standing much taller than Naruto. The ninja adorned a special forces mask with the symbol of Kirigakure. Long black hair hung over the frame of the mask and Naruto could not help but notice how beautiful it was.

The mysterious ninja nodded to Kakashi before hauling Zabuza's corpse up onto his shoulder, "Thank you for your assistance."

And then they were gone.

* * *

Kakashi lay in his cot restless.

It was the middle of the night, yet he could not sleep to save his life. It had been three days since the encounter with Zabuza and he had been bed ridden within the confines of Tazuna's cozy household. His exhaustion from the use of the Sharingan after such a long while had been satiated for the most part, but his constant thoughts were tormenting him tonight.

First, he wasn't sure how to proceed with the current predicament. Him and his team of genin were on a dangerous mission where they had already encountered several high class ninja. A mission that was supposed to be a simple, no complications type of escort.

He sighed and scratched his head. Not to mention the fact that he couldn't shake the feeling he got from the hunter nin at the lake. For some reason that he couldn't put his finger on, he couldn't help but think the whole thing was a set up, and that Zabuza would be coming back for Tazuna.

Kakashi was not doubtful in his ability to defeat Zabuza himself, but if that other ninja were to also join the battle, he had no idea how on earth he could protect his team and Tazuna against not one but _two_ high level shinobi.

His team had expressed their interest in training to him that morning however. It seemed that their first taste of real action had opened their eyes to where exactly they stood in the world; at the bottom of the ninja foodchain.

Kakashi chuckled to himself in the darkness with that thought as he remembered his own time as a genin. They had impressed him though, that much was for sure. Even to simply free Kakashi from the clutches of a ninja as strong as Zabuza was quite the accomplishment. Sure, Sakura didn't do much, but Sasuke and Naruto managed to impress. Well, for Sasuke that was expected but Naruto…

Well, that was the most pressing issue on his mind at the moment.

Ever since the genin exam, when the Shikatsumyaku first showed itself, Kakashi had been a bit worried. Sure, he had his own bloodlimit, and the circumstances of himself acquiring the Sharingan placed him closer to Naruto's shoes than most, but still…

From what Kakashi understood of the Kaguyas, their abilities were not like any other bloodlimit. The appearance of Kimimaro suddenly, along with the incident at the training grounds, along with the fact that Naruto had been acting very strange lately, all had Kakashi on edge.

Hell, he had nearly killed that ninja from the forest, with a single punch he had broken the man's neck and fractured his skull. Of course, Kakashi had thought it better to just tell them that the man had been unconscious. It wouldn't do for them to know that he had been forced to put the ninja down that night. The man would have never walked again. Considering the brain damage he most likely would have suffered, it was for the best.

That much strength in the hands of Naruto worried Kakashi, especially if he was unaware as to how to use it properly. He had noticed that Naruto utilized the Shikotsumyaku in their fight with Zabuza, but he doubted the other genin had noticed. In fact, he doubted they had any idea Naruto had his new abilities.

With a disgruntled sigh he rolled over and decided to have a discussion with the boy in the morning. He was planning on giving them all a lesson in the art of tree-walking anyway.

Kakashi closed his eyes once more and attempted to go back to sleep.

* * *

"Tree-walking?"

Sakura's blank look make it quite obvious she had no idea what the aforementioned task entailed. Sasuke grunted, but it didn't appear that he had any more of an idea than his female teammate.

"Yes." Kakashi grinned as he observed his group, "Have all of you really never heard of this?"

"I can do it." Naruto spoke up quietly. Usually he would be more up to brag about something he could do that the protégé Uchiha had no clue about, but he had been feeling a bit somber since the battle with Zabuza.

Kakashi looked surprised. Sasuke and Sakura looked flabbergasted.

"What, really Naruto?" Sakura's green emeralds stared at him incredulously. Behind her, Sasuke also gave him an inquiring look, though he refrained from asking.

"Yeah," Naruto shrugged. "Kimi... a friend of mine taught it to me before. It wasn't really that difficult." _Actually it was a bitch_, he thought, but he kept that to himself. He didn't want to draw to much attention to his situation and have his teammates start asking questions. He wasn't comfortable with it himself for that yet.

Sakura continued to look curious, but if she were going to ask anything more she was cut off by Kakashi moving on to describe the basics of tree-walking: it's purpose and how it would further them as ninja. Naruto noticed however that Sasuke was still staring at him curiously out of the corner of his eye. It must have bothered him, being bested by the dobe.

"… Now, Sasuke, Sakura, I'll give you two a quick lesson on tree walking out in the forest. After that, I want you, Naruto, to come with me to try something a little more advanced since you've already mastered this."

Naruto continued looking at Sasuke, who seemed to clench at Kakashi's last words. "Okay, sensei." He replied. Despite himself, he grinned openly. It gave him satisfaction, seeing that stressed look on Sasuke's brow. Felt good to finally be better at something.

Soon he would best him in everything else, too.

He realized his smile was turning into a menacing smirk suddenly. He jerked and tried to hide the expression before anyone noticed.

Internally, he tried to collect himself. He had never felt.. _that_ before. It jolted him to think that he was that pleased with himself over besting someone else. That he was that happy to see Sasuke upset.

He shook it off, it must just be the exhaustion or the stress over the last couple of days. He repeated that to himself as he and the team gathered their things before setting off into the woods for training.

* * *

After leaving Sakura and Sasuke to their training, Kakashi led Naruto off further into the woods. They walked for a solid fifteen minutes. Kakashi was silent for the duration of the walk, keeping a brisk pace ahead of Naruto.

Naruto himself wasn't really sure what to think. It wasn't like he had tons of time one on one with Kakashi, hell he hardly had one on one time with anyone. Kimimaro's training sessions for the two weeks before the departure to wave was the extent of Naruto's experience as far as personal instruction went.

Kakashi came to a stop in a clearing much like the one in which they had fought Zabuza. It was a lakeside surrounded by thick oaks and tall spruce. The smell of flowers on the coast and fresh air off of the lake gave it a serene setting. Still without a word, Kakashi walked over to gaze over the water, before suddenly plopping down onto his rear end. Unsure, Naruto joined him, sitting down on the shore, watching some seagulls fight over scraps a few yards away.

"Sometimes," Kakashi spoke for the first time, still staring into the distance. "It's nice to stop and just enjoy nature's silence. It's refreshing I think."

Naruto wasn't sure what to say as Kakashi turned his gaze on him, and so he stayed silent. His sensei gave him a long look, a stern look, yet understanding.

Kakashi relinquished his stare and leaned back on his hands, "I know you must be having a hard time, adjusting. Believe it or not, I didn't get my Sharingan until I was around your age, it was a difficult change for me too." A pause at this point, a sad pause. "But it's important to remember something. That is what we do as ninja, all that we endure, serves a purpose."

Naruto noticed that Kakashi's gaze was on him again.

"Never forget that. Purpose. Never lose it."

Naruto soaked in the words for a while. He wasn't sure how long. Kakashi went silent again and they just sat on the beach. It shocked him to an extent, the fact that his sensei was going through the trouble to tell him these things. Purpose, he wondered what Kakashi's was, speaking to him like this.

Shit, he wondered what his own purpose was anymore. Hokage? As scared and humiliated and humbled as he had been in his short time as a ninja, he couldn't give up that dream. He still wanted to be the best. And he would obviously still let everyone know he was the best.

That would be his purpose for now. That and Iruka-sensei. His team, Sakura and Sasuke. The old Hokage. Kakashi. They could be part of that too. Hell, maybe even Kimimaro…. Yeah but maybe not. He smiled at that, and just took the time to enjoy the scenery.

"Alright!" Kakashi jumped to his feet and grinned with his odd eye smile that Naruto still hadn't figured out, "Now we better get busy with this training."

Naruto grinned, "It's about time!"

Kakashi ignored him and pulled out his book. Always the book. "Now, follow me."

With that he walked further out on the shore to the water's edge. Then he kept walking on, stepping across the water as if it was nothing, face still in his book, until he was eight paces in. When he turned to see Naruto still out on shore he turned with a raised eyebrow.

Naruto stared at him blankly. "Uh… what?"

"You didn't follow me." Kakashi pointed out blandly.

"Of course not! I can't walk on water like that you crazy bastard!" Naruto declared loudly, crossing his arms in a huff.

"Well that's the point isn't it?"

Naruto took a second, "That's what you're teaching me?"

He had to admit, the idea of walking on water was pretty cool. Way cooler than being able to walk up a stupid tree. And it had to be easier, right?

"Yes," Kakashi nodded, "Just like tree walking, focus chakra to your feet, and walk across the water. When you are able to walk all the way to me, we will move on."

"Psh," Naruto scoffed and made the ram seal. "No problem."

He channeled the chakra to his feet, trying to focus on not sending too much, like he tended to do with tree walking. Pushing the chakra outward he confidently took several steps out onto the water. Surprisingly, he managed to stay afloat, walking on the water as if it was solid ground. He managed about two strides before his footing gave out and sent him flailing into the cold lake.

He splashed about in the water, much longer than he should have, before struggling back to shore. "Gah! It's so hard to swim!" Naruto shook his head, and huffed at his soaked clothes. Kakashi didn't seem to hear his complaints, but he could simply not care.

Naruto shed his combat vest, leaving just his black t-shirt beneath. His hair was matted with water and in his eyes, but he ignored it, focusing on his chakra.

Another couple steps later, and more splashing, Kakashi glanced up from his book.

"This is going to take you a while isn't it?"

* * *

Naruto awoke to the sound of birds.

He blinked and squinted into the sunlight. Groggily, he realized he had never made it back to Tazuna's last night. After hours of water walking, he had finally made it to Kakashi on the lake. Then of course the task was to be able to not only walk, but sprint across the lake and back.

As Kakashi had so put it, "It has to be second nature, otherwise it's a useless ability in the fight. It can't distract you to fight on the water."

It made sense, he supposed, but it was still a bitch.

"Oh, you're awake."

"Ah!" Naruto shot upright at the sound of a voice close by. He quickly looked around and jolted as he realized someone was sitting right next to him!

A soft chuckle came from the person. A pretty, comforting sound that made Naruto just want to lay back down in the grass and close his eyes. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you."

Naruto laughed nervously. The girl looked to be around his age, and as he looked at her he tried not to stare at her beauty. She had smooth pale skin and a thin frame. She was wearing a green kimono and held a handful of plants as she smiled at him. And dark, beautiful hair. Hair that seemed to strike Naruto in some way, as if he recognized it…

"You shouldn't sleep in the forest you know, you could catch a cold."

Such a soft voice, Naruto could hardly help himself from instantly feeling comfortable. It was a nice feeling, and so he blatantly disregarded the fact that this was a stranger in a forest, in a land that wasn't his own. After all it was just a pretty girl, right?

"Aha," He scratched the back of his head and smiled, "Yeah, I guess I was a little too tired after training to make it all the way back to the house." He paused for a minute before asking, "Hey, what are you doing out here anyway?"

"Oh, I'm just picking these herbs to make medicine." She gestured at her handful of greens.

"I'll give you a hand with that." Naruto smiled. He ignored the tugging in his gut that was telling him something was wrong. It was nice, meeting someone who seemed so pleasant. He wasn't going to ruin it for no reason.

"You're so kind." The girl continued picking herbs and showed Naruto which ones she was looking for.

"Hm," She turned to Naruto as if she had just thought of something, "You said you were training right? If you don't mind me asking, why?"

"Huh?" Naruto blinked, "Why do I train? 'Cause I have to get stronger. Stronger than everyone else." He said instantly. He paused for a second, thinking about his answer. An image of Kimimaro's unwavering stare of distaste came to mind, as well as Iruka's sheepish smile. "And…. I have to prove someone wrong. And I can't let someone down."

The girl chuckled, "That's quite the answer. But tell me, do you have someone… someone special?"

He was slightly taken aback by that. Naruto caught something flash in her eyes; it looked a lot like pain, a feeling that he was so accustomed to. Though he wasn't sure, he had the feeling and so he stayed quiet and let her finish.

"You know, when you have someone special, something important to protect, that's when you can be truly strong."

Suddenly she was back to all smiles and looking at him expectantly. He grinned back, "Of course. I understand that. You're right."

She was right. After that as they picked more herbs Naruto thought about what she had said. Protecting people close to him was the most important thing. He tried to push the images of the Mizuki incident of his graduating exam out of his mind, but they came anyway.

That moment, the moment he thought Iruka was dead, or dying, he had felt stronger than ever before. Hell, he still hadn't made that many Kage Bunshin and he was much stronger now as a ninja than he had been then. What this strange girl had pointed out was so simple, but he had been overlooking it.

"You know you're pretty smart for a girl."

Another laugh, "Why thank you."

It only took them a few more moments to collect the rest of the herbs before the mysterious girl stood and thanked Naruto for his help.

"It's time for me to get back," she said as she stood. "It was pleasant meeting you. Perhaps we will see each other again."

Naruto just smiled as she turned to walk. She paused for a moment however and glanced back at him, with a grin.

"Oh, and one more thing…. I'm a boy."

* * *

A/N: Hello. So, it's been a while. Here's the next chapter, I hope you all enjoy it. I've really been looking forward to this part of the story and I think the next chapter will be a treat for you all. I decided to forgo the usual cliffhanger as a sort of… compensation for my absence. With my first year into college and all it's been tough.

Anyway I'll save the apologies. Enjoy the chapter; let me know what you think of everything. I really tried to capture the changes Naruto has made in this chapter, both physically and mentally. I'd love some input on that.

Oh, and if any fans of my other story Inner Demons are still lurking around, I think that story is due for an update soon. I've been feeling inspired recently.

alterego94


	6. Upon The Red Sea

**Summary: **Something changed in Naruto after the fight with Mizuki. The exposure to Kyuubi's altered his dormant genes, making them more dominant and unlocking his bloodline. After, when Naruto's hair starts losing its color and wierd things happen during his genin test , the Third knows what he has to do. He sends a message to the last remaining member of Naruto's clan, the only one that can help him control his new abilities. But how will Kimimaro react when he finds out that he has living family?

**White Hair  
By: alterego94  
Chapter Six:  
**_**Upon The Red Sea**_

Kimimaro was impatient.

It had been nearly three weeks since the brat had left on his mission. Some escort sort of bullshit, a pathetic excuse to leave the village if you asked him. His brother would have his time better spent training so he could avoid being such _trash_.

He coughed into his hand and violently kicked a rock across the worn street. He was weaving his way through the bulk of Konohagakure; wandering aimlessly as he had tended to do since he'd been on his own. This had occupied the majority of his days lately and claustrophobia was starting to set in. It was all he could do to avoid slaughtering the annoying townspeople crowding the streets.

As he was pondering the different methods in which he could accomplish this goal, an incessant tap on his shoulder caught his attention. Surprised, he turned, wondering who in this godforsaken place had the audacity to touch him so.

His glare fell on a dark skinned chuunin who, upon noticing Kimimaro's stare, shook noticeably in his salute.

Speaking of trash.

"Uh H-Hokage-sama requests your audience in his quarters."

Kimimaro raised an eyebrow. The Hokage had attempted to summon him several times throughout now month long stay in Konoha. Most of which he ignored, because…. Well because Kimimaro didn't see it necessary to put forth that kind of effort. He supposed if it was that important the old man would come find him in person, or at least send a ninja worthy of respect with the summons.

Always dealing with the garbage.

Without a word Kimimaro rolled his eyes and headed for the Hokage tower, easily visible over the rest of the city. He made sure to bump the chuunin on his way by, sending the ninja to the ground where he tried desperately not to piss himself.

It took him a solid fifteen minutes to reach the tower—again trying to avoid murdering a couple boisterous townsmen—over which he considered the purpose of the summons. Probably something menial and annoying. Nevertheless, he had to make an appearance at some point, and it wasn't as if his plans for the night had been any more exciting. He would just make an effort to keep the pleasantries at a minimum.

He reached the tower and continued on to the Hokage's office, ignoring the officeworker's cries for identification and such. He strode to the door and opened it, without knocking.

Sarutobi was in his usual position. Casually in his chair, looking older than death and puffing on that disgusting pipe of his. When he saw Kimimaro he smiled pleasantly—too pleasantly—and gestured to a seat. Kimimaro ignored his motions and stood at the forefront of the room, noticing a gray haired ninja leaning against the wall, arms crossed.

Jiraiya.

Orochimaru had spoke of him enough that Kimimaro was certain that it was him. He kept his facial expression neutral, though mostly because he could not decide whether to sneer or smirk.

Jiraiya was the one person that Orochimaru-sama had hated with a passion. Kimimaro coughed into his hand at that thought; passion was putting it lightly. The snake sannin had the nasty habit of killing something if the unfortunate name of his teammate ever came up. There was no greater obstacle in the formation of Otogakure than the troublesome task of evading Jiraiya's many spies. If anything, the hate had managed to rub off a bit, and Kimimaro had trouble not drawing a weapon.

On the other hand, the man in front of him was far from trash.

"Kimimaro, this is Jiraiya. I'm sure you've heard of him." Sarutobi spoke up after a few moments of silence, observing him through the smoke from his pipe.

Jiraiya remained silent, merely giving him a nod of recognition. His stare was deliberate, and Kimimaro felt his eyes studying his every move. He tried not to smirk at the attention.

"I'm sure you're wondering," As he turned his gaze back to the Hokage, Sarutobi continued on, "why I brought you here. The answer is quite simple." The old man's eyes glistened with some emotion that Kimimaro couldn't place, and his smile seemed to widen.

It didn't give him a good feeling.

"Jiraiya will be in town for a few weeks, when Naruto returns, he will be observing your training. He is a Sannin, he might even have a few pointers here and there," Now Kimimaro recognized the look; it was mirth. The old man was getting enjoyment out of prodding him.

"I'm afraid not."

Another puff on the pipe.

"Now don't mistake me, this isn't a request." The Hokage's statement was just as jolly as the last, but a different undertone lay just beneath the surface. "Now I think you're a fine young man, but some of my… well, some of the less convinced people in the village want some security. This is how I get them off my back."

Kimimaro scowled in objection, but remained silent. He was not in favor of the idea, being watched all the time like some misbehaving pet. He grit his teeth to remain silent.

"Jiraiya was a colleague of the great Tsunade you know," Sarutobi added contemplatively, "He might even have an idea about your condition, eh?"

A particularly violent outburst broke Kimimaro's silence on the matter, and he cursed his illness for making him appear weak. "I.. suppose." He added, hoping he'd be allowed to end this unpleasant visit.

The old Hokage nodded his approval and grinned all the wider. A look that Kimimaro was beginning to think was saved for the delivering of bad news.

"Nice, I'm sure you two will get along great! Now get out of my office."

* * *

It had been nearly a week since Naruto's strange encounter with the strange… boy—he was still having a hard time believing _that_—in the forest. He had managed in that time to nearly master the water walking exercise, though it was most certainly not second nature yet, as Kakashi had made perfectly clear. Perfectly clear being expressed as kunai being hurled at him until he lost concentration and broke through the water surface.

The exercise was daunting and because of it Naruto hadn't spoken much to his team since they had been split for training. When he did get the chance to have an actual conversation he was met with less than willing subjects. Sakura was feeling the tolls of the extra training, she barely had the energy to keep her eyes open long enough to eat before passing out. Sasuke, on the other hand, regarded him with cold looks and pointed stares, no doubt upset that Kakashi had given the blond a separate exercise.

Naruto did his best to avoid getting pissed off, but not to much avail. Kakashi had to separate them on many occasions in the last few days, usually the situation involved Naruto taking a few swings at his raven haired teammate.

Despite how angry he got though, he made sure not to ever _actually_ hit Sasuke. Thoughts of the demon brothers still plagued him. He had been making a pointed effort to remember that he really had no idea what his strength was as of late. It would really suck if he accidentally broke the teme's neck…

The Shikatsumyaku sure was making everything complicated.

Naruto sighed and tried to forget his musings and focus on the task at hand. Which was hard, because it was so boring.

Team 7 was making the trek to the bridge from Tazuna's house, huddling around the old drunk the whole way. Kakashi seemed convinced that something would go wrong. He hadn't directly said so, but his shifty, alert eye and tense posture made it all too obvious. At least himself and Sasuke noticed; Sakura was too busy trying to keep Tazuna quiet.

"Hahaha! We're almost there!" the old man chuckled and beamed out from under his straw hat. His disposition was a stark contrast to the bitter old drunkard they had become accustomed to. He hadn't shut up since they'd left.

At least that was some good news, Naruto thought to himself. His tense relations with his team, the excited babbling of Tazuna, and Kakashi's silence had been grating on him. The trip to the bridge was _miles_.

Sure enough, just as the old man said, the bridge drifted into sight almost immediately through the morning fog. It was a humid mist, the moisture seemed to sink to the bones. Naruto shook off the foreboding sense creeping into his shoulders.

The bridge was over water after all, it was completely normal that there would be excess moisture in the air.

Well, that assumption was shit-canned as soon as the team stepped onto the bridge.

The fog seemed to be even thicker now, and it was difficult for Naruto to make out even his teammates standing next to him. They treaded slowly deeper onto the expanse of the bridge before Kakashi held out an arm suddenly, halting the group.

"Something is wrong." The jounin said quietly to his genin.

Naruto peered through the expanse ahead. He wasn't sure what he was looking for exactly—though he was hoping not to see a huge sword flying at him like last time—but what he found certainly was not expected.

It was just a slightly darker splotch against the white-gray background at first, then a gust of wind blew over the bridge, disrupting the mist and giving a better view. Color came first; red. Lots of red. An object lay in the center of it all, and Naruto suddenly felt ill as the features of the scene in front of him became fully visible.

It was a decapitated head.

Not only that, the mist had cleared enough to see what lay beyond: utter chaos. The bridge was totally covered, stained crimson. Painted with blood, sprayed about in various streaks, like the work of a demented butcher. In the center of it all, a pile of corpses. Obviously they had been the poor souls that happened to be on shift when the destruction had started.

"Ah!" Sakura gasped from his left.

Naruto noticed her vomit from the corner of his eye, but his attention was still riveted on the scene in front of him. Tazuna was shouting something beside him, but the words were lost on him. All he could see was the bodies, the blood. The helpless people slaughtered for doing nothing wrong.

It hit him so suddenly. The fact that these had been decent, hardworking people trying to support their families. Trying to break their town from the grip of an oppressive drug lord.

Gato.

Naruto was suddenly furious. All of it was so unnecessary. Those people hadn't deserved to die. They hadn't done anything wrong. It was all because of some useless pig giving out orders, and some fucking traitor ninja with a sword that was too big. He would make them pay, he decided. He would make them pay in the same fashion they had decimated the bridge workers.

He would tear them apart.

"Naruto!" Kakashi snapped at him, knocking him out of his trance. His sensei had a kunai drawn and was eying the bridge critically. The mist was thickening once again.

Naruto felt something in his palm, and noticed he had been clenching his fists, drawing blood. It was dripping from his fingertips now, dropping onto the hard stone of the bridge with a light drip that sounded like a hammer banging in his head.

There was a sudden boom of laughter from the mist and then without notice, six Zabuza clones appeared around them. They each held Kubikiri at the ready, prepared to chop them down at any moment.

Then the actual Zabuza appeared from the mist a couple meters ahead of them, kicking away a removed leg in disdain as he did so. He swaggered into view with his hulking sword slung over his shoulder, the supposed hunter nin from the last encounter following close behind.

"Long time no see," He chuckled. His eyes gazed over the team. "I see you're still hanging with these brats." Then his eyes fell on Naruto and his stare turned cold. He seemed to unconsciously rotate his shoulder, covered in bandages from where Naruto's Shikatsumyaku had met its mark. "I believe some payback is in order for that one."

This time Naruto was unaffected by the killer intent pressing down on him. The blood that was already spilt on the bridge was too fresh, he could smell it, a constant reminder. He would make sure the bastard got what was coming to him.

Zabuza noticed his unwavering gaze, "At least you've got a bit of spunk," He commended, "Look at your teammate over there. He's so scared he's shaking."

Naruto kept his eyes on Zabuza's but heard Sasuke scoff from behind him.

"Yeah.." The raven haired genin started, "I'm excited."

With a nod from Kakashi, Sasuke leapt into action. He dashed about with speed that Naruto had never seen from him before. In no time at all he had cleanly dispatched the clones surrounding them, leaving nothing but pools of water about the bridge. Sasuke appeared back next to his blond teammate, and Naruto shot him a look of approval.

"Bahaha, how impressive." Zabuza looked to his companion, the hunter nin. "Looks like you might have a hard time of it, Haku."

"Perhaps," Haku's voice was unexpectedly soft. It reminded Naruto of something, but he couldn't quite put a finger on it before Kakashi reached up and raised his headband, revealing the Sharingan. The newly revealed crimson eye swirled, seeming to envelope everything.

The mist seemed to freeze everything in place, and for a moment, Naruto swore time itself stood still. Zabuza, the massive, muscle covered swordsman wielding his massive human-cleaver. His companion, the silent assassin, hiding his face behind the emotionless mask that adorned his thin frame, pulling three thin senbon needles out from behind his back.

Then there was team 7. Sasuke, looking pale and dark in the depths of the mist, yet the grin on his face bordering on maniacal. Sakura, shaking and ghostly, hiding behind the men of the group with Tazuna. And Kakashi, Sharingan spinning in his head, clenching a kunai with a white-knuckle grip, ready for anything.

Naruto had time to smirk at the scene, before time came back into itself, and the bridge burst once again into chaos.

The hunter nin made the first move. He flashed into view a step in front of Sasuke, engaging the raven haired genin with a swinging fist that grazed his cheek. Sasuke retaliated with a spinning kick before leaping back. The two kept exchanging blows as Sasuke danced Haku away from his teammates.

Naruto remained rooted in place, not sure where he was more needed, with Zabuza, or the mysterious ninja fighting Sasuke. Kakashi noticed his look and gave him a nod. "Go," Kakashi barked, " Sakura will stay with Tazuna, I can handle this fight on my own."

The blond only hesitated a second to give his sensei a troubled look, before rushing toward where Sasuke was engaging Haku.

Naruto found his teammate locked kunai to senbon with the assailant and wasted no time, twisting his body with a kick aimed for the opponents head. The ninja noticed him last second, raising an arm to block. Naruto's leg connected solid, his blow breaking through the defense immediately. With a noticeable snap the opposing shinobi was sent reeling across the bridge as Naruto settled in next to his teammate and pulled a kunai.

Haku rolled to his feet a few meters away nursing his left arm. The appendage was held at a noticeably awkward tilt and hung uselessly below the elbow. The mask continued to stare at them, devoid of any pain.

"You can't hope to fight us like that," Sasuke's smirk was signature Uchiha, and his words were mocking, "Give up."

Naruto silently agreed with his teammate, but somehow, he had a feeling that it would never be quite that easy.

"A tool that cannot fight is useless. I refuse to be useless."

Haku's whispered words cut through the thick fog like a hot knife through butter, containing all the desperation of a starved dog. They shook Naruto, as he realized just what kind of relationship the two nuke nin held.

_I refuse to be useless_

He didn't have anymore time to ponder as Haku began to make one-handed seals with his working arm. ""

With that, the water in the mist and on the bridge seemed to collect, to pool together. The air became heavy laden with chakra, and all the heat seemed to be sucked away as the temperature dropped. A technique of the likes Naruto had never seen before sprung forward.

The moisture that had pooled together had frozen, into sheets of ice so flawless he could see his very reflection in them. The sheets surrounded the duo, forming a dome over and behind them.

_What the.._

Naruto glanced to Sasuke to see an equally dumbfounded expression on his face.

"This is my signature technique; my bloodlimit." Haku spoke, his voice as cold as the ice surrounding them. The soft edge it had held before was gone, replaced by a calculated tone more fitting to the mask upon his face. "I'm afraid this bridge is the last thing you two shall ever see."

With those words Haku stepped back, sliding effortlessly into one of the mirrors. Suddenly he was everywhere, his visage in every mirror and his voice seemed to echo around them,

"Now you'll see my true speed."

There were flashes of movement between the mirrors, shifts in the wind, ruffles of clothing, but most of all, was the sound of metal piercing flesh, that was what alerted Naruto that something was wrong. He turned to see group of senbon had buried themselves into his teammate's shoulder.

"Sasuke!"

"Look out you fucking _idiot!_"

Without hesitation the Uchiha shoved him roughly, sending him sprawling as Sasuke also rolled, a row of more senbon crashing harmlessly against the stone of the bridge.

There was no more time to talk as the senbon continued to fly, coming down upon them like a storm, raining down cold steel and death. Every needle seemed to toy with them even more, most too slow to find their mark, but the ones that did were in fleshy areas.

Eventually, Naruto noticed something different about Sasuke. He was suddenly faster, having no trouble dodging the swarms. Where before it was both him and Naruto having trouble breathing now the blond found himself alone with his hands on his knees. It took him a while before he got a good look and realized that Sasuke's Sharingan had awoken, a single tomoe spinning in his eye.

By this time they both were pincushions. Needles adorned their bodies like the quills of a porcupine, blood dripping from their bodies like sweat, forming crimson pools at their feet.

Naruto hacked into his hand after another brutal barrage, pulling the appendage back bloody. His body was exhausted. His body was damn tired of getting holes poked in it too. They hadn't been doing shit but running around trying to dodge needles they could hardly see. Well, at least Naruto couldn't see them. Sasuke had hardly been touched since his Sharingan had showed its face. Thinking of his own bloodlimit, Naruto scoffed.

A lot of fucking good the Shikotsumyaku did him when he couldn't even see where the attacks were coming from. He pulled a particularly painful senbon out of his elbow and swore as he rolled to avoid more.

He formed the seals as quickly as he could and popped thirty Kage Bunshins into existence. The clones each let out a yell and charged as one, each running towards a mirror. The few that made it that far beat upon the ice with bare fists, their desperate efforts not even scratching the flawless surface of the mirrors.

Soon they too met the same fate as the others, crying out as the rain of senbon connected, leaving only dispelled smoke in their wake.

Naruto's face turned to one of despair and saw that his teammate had a likewise expression on his face as he took another glancing blow to the thigh.

It was hopeless.

Despair turned to horror as Naruto peered to the sky to see another cloud of senbon, whistling through the air. He was too slow, he knew that as soon as he saw them. They were already on their path of destruction, and there was nothing he could do now to stop them.

Thoughts of his team flashed to mind as time seemed to slow down. Sakura, Sasuke, Kakashi, they would probably all die too. Naruto wouldn't be there to do anything about it. He saw the old man, Sarutobi, puffing sadly on his pipe, standing over a small blond corpse. Kimimaro stood nearby, looking down upon him in disdain, but sadness resounding behind the disgust. Iruka was there, face in his hands, distraught.

He closed his eyes, not bearing to witness as the senbon came screaming through the air to end him. Not bearing to see as his dreams and hopes succumb to darkness. He felt them already, digging into his chest, sinking into his heart.

Ending his life.

A moment later, the whistling stopped abruptly. A warm feeling was building in Naruto's stomach. No, not in, _on_ Naruto's stomach. A warm feeling. A wet feeling.

With a horror that he never thought he would associate with being alive, Naruto opened his eyes. A pool of crimson was puddling over his gut, running off and streaming across the bridge like rivers. The blood was pooling from above.

"Sasuke?"

His shadow hovered over Naruto dark and silent, his arms outstretched, his body peppered with newly found senbon. His imposing stature faltered as a cough rattled his body, spewing more red down upon Naruto, turning the rivers into raging floods of blood.

Sasuke collapsed upon Naruto just as the realization of what was happening sunk a knife into his gut. He lost his ability to swallow as tears he didn't know he had stained his face.

"What the fuck, teme. What were you thinking? You… you idiot…" Naruto choked back the lump in his throat as he cradled his broken teammate.

Sasuke grinned weakly in twisted amusement, "I couldn't help it," He choked out, body shivering as the cold began to invade, "My body moved on its own, don't… don't think you're special… dobe."

"You bastard." Naruto swore and buried his face into his teammates chest. He hugged him tightly, as tight as his battle weary body could. Fighting away the darkness, as if he could wrestle his best friend from the depths of the Shinigami's hold.

"You can't die…" he sputtered.

Sasuke didn't speak another word. His pale form cold and clammy, turned motionless and stiff in Naruto's arms. The blood didn't stop though. It dripped and puddled and pooled, both from Naruto and the body he held in his arms. It continued even after he had closed his eyes and his breaths had stopped.

Naruto stared disbelievingly down at the stiff corpse. The blank face, the clammy, ashen skin seemed to already be turning cold, the wind seeping what little warmth left away.

He was waiting.

Waiting for the laughter.

For Sasuke to snap his eyes open and laugh and point and tell him what an idiot dobe he was for believing such a stupid prank. Such a stupid joke.

That moment never came. He sat there for long moments, uncaring to the world. Staring at the corpse of the boy he now admitted was his only friend he knew in the whole world.

It couldn't be…

Sasuke was supposed to _always_ be there. Who was he supposed to strive to be better than now? Who was he going to have to win Sakura away from now? Who was going to give him those cold, silent grunts of approval whenever he did something impressive?

It hit him suddenly, with all of the blunt force of a sledgehammer to the skull.

He was really gone.

Naruto released the body and grasped his hair as the full extent of his grief hit him. A shrill shout released itself from his open lips. A presence made itself known in the back of his mind. A dark, ominous shadow, weaving itself into his very thoughts, egging him on. It pushed him, riddling him with 'what ifs' and shouts, no _screams_, for retribution.

"This is the life we Shinobi live," Haku's voice fell upon him, causing far more damage than the senbon had ever dreamed to. "Precious people will die, it is the price we pay."

He would show him the price. The price he would pay would be more than simple death. Fucking right, he would _beg_ for death by the time the price was paid.

_**Yes**_, said the voice.

Naruto suddenly felt no exhaustion. His muscles and bones weren't tired, they were brimming with energy. His very being was filled with an energy that he had never felt before, brustling with malevolent intents.

He _liked_ it.

Shikotsumyaku was screaming to be released, an experience he'd never felt before. He had to physically work to keep his bones beneath the skin. The energy began burning within him, making his skin crawl, making his hair stand on end, making him howl with excitement.

Nothing mattered anymore, nothing but his dead friend at his feet, and the motherfucker who would soon be laying in pieces next to him.

_**Don't hold back**_, the voice whispered. He nodded physically in agreement, the voice's cold words like a cool drink to a man in the desert. _**Rip him apart. Make him feel your pain. Make him **_**scream**_**.**_

As more and more power flooded through his body, a maelstrom of fiery chakra licking at the mirror prison around him, Naruto gave in completely. His tormented and grief stricken mind giving way to the evil, blood-thirsty cries for revenge.

His eyes filled with red, and his nostrils flared with the putrid scent of freshly spilled blood. His nails thickened and extended, transforming into flesh rending tools of destruction. He tasted metal on his tongue as his gums split and teeth elongated.

_**Kill… Kill him. Murder him. Destroy him.**_ The malevolent voice danced and shrieked in his head even as his body morphed into some twisted demon. The voice was old, ancient, and filled with wrath.

Such wrath.

Naruto's face twisted into a grin as he lost himself in the rage. Peering up at the mirrors, at the many visages of Haku, he opened his mouth. His voice was now gravelly and low.

"**I'm going to kill you.**" He spoke with finality, as if the deed were already done. The sudden, pungent scent of fear permeated the air as his words reached the ears of the hunter nin.

And then he laughed. His body shook from the very power coursing through his veins. Laughed like he hadn't laughed in over a decade, as if he had become some other creature. Some creature that had been imprisoned for a long time…

A handful of senbon buried themselves into his throat, bringing the maniacal sound to a grinding halt. He choked on his blood for a moment, before yanking the needles from his neck, the wounds healing instantly.

"**That was a mistake**," He howled, and with those words, he let loose. Let loose of all of the power itching underneath his skin, aching in the very depths of his bones. He let it all out.

And the bridge exploded in a maelstrom of raw power and malevolent chakra.

* * *

The sudden expulsion of chakra near by caught the edge of Kakashi's attention before the full extent of the power swept over him, freezing him in place, the energy sweeping over his senses like a cold foreboding wind. An evil gust of ill intent.

He knew that feeling.

A rush of thoughts poured into his head, followed by fear. Fear, an emotion buried under years of Anbu training and thousands of cold-blooded kills on the job, bubbled to the surface. He froze and shook like a damn _genin_ before he got a hold of himself.

The pain from the bruises and shallow cuts adorning his body suddenly seemed insignificant. He knew now, he had to end this fight as quickly as possible. He had no idea what was going on, nor did he particularly want to stop and think about why the whole bridge was fucking reeking of Kyubi's chakra. All he knew was that if he didn't finish this soon, Naruto, or even the rest of his team could be in terrible danger.

He steeled himself to those thoughts and tightening his grip on the kunai as he turned his attention back to his foe.

Momochi Zabuza stood as still as a stone statue, staring off into miss with wide eyes. His hand clenched Kubikiri tightly, but it was trembling. The swordsman took a moment before he looked back to Kakashi, wariness replaced by questioning fury.

"What in the holy fuck is going on over there?" He snarled, as if his recent terror stricken state sickened him.

Kakashi met his eyes cooly, unwavering. His Sharingan staring deep into Zabuza's dark shadowed depths. Kakashi always made a point of eye contact with the stronger enemies he defeated. Something he picked up in the Anbu corps. A sign of respect and homage to a worthy opponent.

Never answering the missing nin's question, Kakashi swept his kunai across his free hand, flowing into hand seals and thrusting his palms against the ground. The summoned dogs burst from the ground with all the ferocity of a pack of hunting wolves. Their sharp claws and razor teeth found flesh and dug in, unrelenting and mercilessly.

Moments later a cackling, sparking energy came to fill the bridge, alongside the evil tainted chakra. Lighting seemed to dance in the mist. Mist that was dyed red, either from blood or the pooling yokai. Then suddenly, a thunderclap as the lighting met its mark with finality.

The lifeless thump of the body hitting the bridge was enveloped by the mist.

* * *

"_**ARRRRRGHH!**_"

Power, so much power. The senbon kept raining down relentlessly, he ignored them, as his body ached with raw, uncontainable chakra. They tickled his senses as they pierced the skin, filling his body with holes. Making him angry.

Very angry.

His skin shivered and convulsed as he struggled within himself. Pain began to rear up under his skin, piercing white hot pain racing up his back and across his joints. His fury filled mind didn't question what it was, he accepted it with open arms.

_**Yes. Let go. LET IT ALL GO.**_

Naruto no longer had a concept of which voice was his own and which was the shadowy presence making home in his consciousness. All he knew was pain and wrath. All he knew was that the man in front of him, reflected in so many mirrors, was going to die.

So he let go.

And the pain erupted into pure agony. He shook and shivered as piercing tremors racked his body as Shikotsumyaku brought itself forcefully to the surface and deep within his mind, a dark ancient laugh echoed ominously.

Spines erupted from his back like blades of death as his vertebrae sharpened and extended like the back of some terrifying reptile. He opened his mouth and let out a ghastly howl that sang both anger and pain. It shook the bridge and cut through the mist like a knife as the rest of his transformation took place.

With a releasing of chakra Naruto felt the pain dully as bones erupted from his elbows and knees. He felt a maniacal grin reflecting on his face as the ancient presence guided his hands to the ground and echoed in his head.

_**Let me take over. **_

_**Let us kill him, destroy him. **_

_**Let us get your revenge. **_

_**Give me the power!**_

The voice was so compelling, so powerful, so unrelenting. Naruto felt his power spike as his palms hit the ground. He raised his face to gaze at Haku with a sidelong snarl before power surged through his arms.

The ground shook as massive pillars erupted from the bridge. Giant white bone like the ribs of a giant burst from the stone of the bridge and in a semi-circle around him, obliterating the ice prison and turning the misty scene into a boneyard.

The missing nin was thrown from hiding as the mirrors shattered like broken glass. Naruto was on him before the body hit the ground. He lashed out with both arms, breaking through the attempted cross block with ease and sending Haku flying across the bridge. His flight patterned was stopped as he connected with one of the bone pillars with a crunch and crumpled.

Naruto howled and rushed him. Picking him up by his throat effortlessly and slamming him against the wall of bone viciously. He leaned in close to the struggling ninja and snarled.

"**You'll pay**_**." **_He spat, _**"**_**You'll **_**fucking**_** pay right now!"**

With that he lost his mind to the rage, and slammed the head of the opposing ninja into the solid bone surface. And again. And again. Like a deranged animal he brutally smashed the head over and over like he was trying to split a coconut.

"**Hahahaha!" **The laugh was hardly human. Something maniacal and twisted. It sounded like the cry of a coyote as it dug into a fresh kill.

_**Hahahahaha, **_The voice echoed in his head.

Blood splattered the bone, decorating it with explosions of red as it dribbled onto the cobblestones of the bridge. The ninja had long since stopped struggling. His skull had been completely caved, he head lay like a piece of mangled fruit in his hands as he continued his vicious ministrations.

He couldn't stop. Couldn't….

"Naruto!"

A voice. Familiar. Thoughts formed incoherently in his befuddled mind, but he dismissed them. First that bastard had to pay. After all he had killed… killed…

Who had he killed?

That didn't matter. The ninja had angered him. That why he had to pay. That is why he had to die. That is why…

"Naruto!" This time the shout was closer, more insistant. A hand placed itself on his shoulder, gripping him tightly.

He spun and snarled, still seeing red. Ready to lay waste to whoever had dared to touch him. He came face to face with a mask, a spinning red eye, and a tuft of unruly silver hair.

A familiar face.

His rage faltered for a moment as he stared into the Sharingan. Who… this person…

"Kakashi.."

The name suddenly hit him like a hammer to the head. Realization cut through his mind and suffocated his anger as consciousness came back to his fogged mind. His strength fled just as quickly, and his legs turned to rubber as his benevolent red aura faded and the Shikatsumyaku fled back into his body with a dull ache.

Naruto stood stock still on shaky legs as reality came back to take its toll. He gazed down horridly at the mangled remains of Haku still clenched in his hands. He couldn't resist staring, non-believing. He could just barely still make out the features of the ninja that had been hidden beneath the Anbu mask.

Dark shining hair, pale skin, bright eyes. Those eyes struck him; they were the only thing not noticeably destroyed, and they stared back at him with cold lifelessness. Familiarity hit him once again and he forced himself not to cry out in anguish.

It was the boy from the woods.

Someone precious

Bile rose in his throat as he couldn't sustain himself anymore, falling to the hard stone of the bridge on his weak knees. He released Haku now, setting the boy aside as he failed to hold back his sobs any longer.

So much death. Tears streamed down his face as he thought of Sasuke, and of Haku. Naruto might be a ninja, but he knew damn well that they were not old enough to die. Sasuke was thirteen fucking years old.

He sat there, cold and empty, before Kakashi once again placed a hand on his shoulder. Not the firm attention demanding grip of before, but a soft, comforting gesture. He didn't look up. He lay still for moments that felt like enternity before Kakashi spoke.

"You remember what I said Naruto," It wasn't a question. Just a softly spoken statement, "Your purpose as a ninja of Konoha and a member of team 7 is to protect your teammates at all costs."

The words were like cold wind on his ears. He shook his head furiously and looked to his sensei with clenched, shaking fists.

"What are you even talking about?" He demanded, shaking "Sasuke…. He's DEAD. It's all because of me. And this… I didn't mean to… I can't believe he's dead."

Kakashi's was silent for a moment as he pulled down his headband, placing a veil over the Sharingan once again. He looked at Naruto and then past him.

"Naruto." He grinned in classic Kakashi-style. "Look over there, why don't you."

Sudden hope cut through his despair. He tried to force it down, but curiosity got the better of him and he turned, casing his eyes back to the far end of the bridge.

A rush of emotions came over him all at once.

As relief rushed over him his body finally gave in to the exhaustion riddling his bones. His diminished chakra and bruised body and mind gave in to the welcoming comfort of unconsciousness.

The last thing he was aware of was the strong hands of Kakashi catching a hold of him as he collapsed, and the silhouettes of Tazuna, Sakura, and Sasuke in the disappearing fog.

* * *

"We are leaving now."

Naruto spoke into the wind, his voice carrying out onto the sea as he sat and gazed out across the horizon of wave. The sun was bright, reflecting off of the water and casting a maroon glow across the sky as it set.

He glanced down at the bouquet in his hands and silently questioned himself as to what he was doing here. There was no repentance. He knew that. Did he even deserve to be here? He grimaced at the thought and shook his head.

"I picked you some flowers… I remembered the ones you liked. From the first time we met? In that clearing where I passed out." He laid them down next to the makeshift tombstone, creating a nice arrangement, decorating the ground that hid what he had down.

"I really…" Naruto trailed off as he fought back his emotions. "I think in a different time, different place. It would.. I mean I would have.. We could have been friends."

But that would never be. He smiled coldly at the thought.

"I know now that… that I had no choice. But why. Why did it have to be this way?" His teeth ground as he sat back in the grass, pondering the sea for answers; waiting for the grave next to him to answer with some wise words.

No reply came.

"I learned something though," He noticed that he was rambling. Taking about nothing and everything where words were not needed at all. The dead enjoy their silence, and here he was talking like he had actually known this person.

"I guess you taught me. Along with Kakashi-sensei, that without purpose there is no way to be the strongest. Without precious people. Something to protect."

He contemplated as he stood on fresh legs. A week had passed, all signs of fatigue had washed away. Now only his mind was tired. Thoughts had plagued him constantly, casting sleepless hours into his nights with their pestilence.

He was enlightened now, though. He knew what was done had to be that way and would be that way and would never change from that way.

It was the life a Shinobi.

It was the road to Hokage.

"I'm going to protect everyone. All of my precious people." He declared to the sky. Lifting his face as the sun said its final goodbyes. "So thank you for that. For teaching me that. I'll be the strongest, I won't let anything, anyone stand in my way."

He fell into silence after that. Letting the cool wind wash over him before he turned his back on the grave site. On the two buried bodies that had changed his life forever.

"I have purpose…"

Naruto crossed the bridge on his way to Tazuna's. The Great Naruto Bridge they'd named it. Flattering, but he didn't live up to that title. Not yet.

His feet met clean, polished stone as he walked. No signs of the chaos and death that had taken place not a week prior. The blood had dried, and then washed clean. Run off into the unforgiving waters below.

The waters must have turned red with all of the life spilt into them, but as he peered into their depths, there was no trace.

Just the unrelenting tide, as deep and blue as only the sea can be.

* * *

AN: Well there it is. Much quicker than the last update eh?

So now, about the chapter. I think it turned out pretty well. Some nice meat and action packed into this chapter. It was actually kind of hard writing my head was so damn jam packed with different ways to go with the fight scenes and how the entirety of it would end up. I am pretty pleased with the end result though. It is a bit dark, but it fits.

And also, deepest apologies to all the reviewers begging for Haku to be a girl. I just couldn't justify changing her gender just to kill her off. And yes, she did have to die. It's a crucial part of the story as I'm sure you could tell by the way this chapter went. Besides that I'm not one for the whole Haku comes back with Naruto and instantly is accepted idea.

Oh, and sorry if there are any errors or if the editing isn't up to par, I was trying to get the chapter up asap.

Anyway, done talking now.

Til next time.


	7. What We Do Best

******Summary: **Something changed in Naruto after the fight with Mizuki. The exposure to Kyuubi's altered his dormant genes, making them more dominant and unlocking his bloodline. After, when Naruto's hair starts losing its color and weird things happen during his genin test, the Third knows what he has to do. He sends a message to the last remaining member of Naruto's clan, the only one that can help him control his new abilities. But how will Kimimaro react when he finds out that he has living family?

**A/N:** Yo. So anyway, before I get into the chapter, just wanted to answer some general questions I didn't get the chance to respond to personally.

So yes, the whole Gato scene happened. I attempted to give that impression at the end of the chapter, but some readers were still confused so obviously I didn't do that job particularly well. Anyway, my reasons for skipping over that were pretty simple. First of all, this story is AU. I personally don't enjoy the way most AU stories are handled on this site because an alternate universe is usually a singe change in the story line that is supposed to resonant and expand into a sort of butterfly effect. So to make it simple—changes take a while. While this development section of the story is important, I don't really see the need to bore you all(or myself) with writing damn near the same exact scenes you've seen in the manga/anime or other fics a thousand times. So there you are, that was the main point to be addressed, I won't waste anymore of your time. It is bad enough that you guys put up with my erratic updates.

Oh, I lied, one more thing. As said before, the story is AU. Takes time. Naruto is not going to suddenly become this genius prodigy ultra noob pwner awesome shinobi. Certainly not now, probably not ever. It ruins the story for the main character to be ridiculously overpowered. So to those that are repeatedly asking me to make him stronger, smarter, etc. Stop.

Now, enjoy the story.

**White Hair  
****By: alterego94  
****Chaper Seven:  
**_**What We Do Best**_

Sarutobi Hiruzen sucked at his wooden tobacco pipe with concern as he scowled over the downtrodden and exhausted members of team 7.

Kakashi had his nose in his book as usual, though his usual laid back concentration was lacking. In its place lay a red rimmed eye and a distracted stare that gazed right through the novel. His hair was arranged in a slightly more disheveled manner than normal and though he showed no signs of major injury, the slight slouch in his stance indicated a level of exhaustion Sarutobi hadn't seen in him since the Anbu days.

The genin of the squad were much more noticeably disconcerted. Sakura was much more reserved than her normal self. She leaned against the back wall of the office as if she would fall over without the extra support. She gripped her hands together tightly with white knuckles and half lidded eyes. The girl looked like she might keel over right then and here.

Sasuke had sustained the most prominent injuries of the group, but was composing himself much better. He was bandaged in several areas across his torso and shoulders, as Sarutobi could see through the tears in his Uchiha clan gi. He stood with his arms crossed proudly, as usual, but it was obvious even he was affected by the haywire mission. His eyes held a newfound brooding in them and his lips had been drawn into a thin line for the majority of the report; silent.

Naruto, physically, was untouched. His clothes were damn near unrecognizably torn and shredded. It looked like someone had run them through a paper shredder, but underneath lay unblemished pink. That was to say nothing of his demeanor however.

No, that was quite the opposite.

Sarutobi had to steel himself from running over and embracing his pseudo grandson and a solid lump formed in his chest. There were very few occasions—not any that he could remember off the top of his head—that Naruto had _not_ given him a toothy, mischievous smile, and some horribly insulting term of affection on sight. Yet at the moment, he wouldn't even make eye contact with the Hokage. His cerulean eyes were clouded, his shoulders slack, his jaw clenched. His messy now-near-white hair lay nearly covering his brow, casting a shadow over his face.

Sarutobi pulled himself away from his tedious observations and exhaled slowly puffing a cloud of cherry smoke into the office as he blinked slowly and digested what he had just been told. Currently, they had just gone over the brief formalities of mission completion. All that he knew at this point was that the mission to wave was everything but the simple escort they were expecting. Throw in a nuke nin and his apprentice and Sarutobi was boggled as to how they pulled it off at all. He was anxious to hear the details of such a disaster.

"Well, now that's over with," He started, tossing the newly acquired paperwork to the side, "Go home. You all could use the rest. Good work team 7, mission accomplished. Kakashi can stay and finish the debriefing."

Several sighs blew across the room, both of exhaustion and relief. Without a few half hearted bows and goodbyes, the genin of team 7 limped out of his office. The heavy door shut with a bang of finality and Sarutobi couldn't help but feel they had left with something huge hanging over their heads. He was missing something.

That thought was instantly reinforced when he glanced back to Kakashi. Icha Icha Paradice was nowhere to be seen.

Sarutobi rubbed his temples.

"That bad?"

"That bad."

Kakashi took a few steps, coming right up to the edge of Sarutobi's desk. He leaned forward, his eyes low, voice hushed, "I think that the seal is weakening."

Sarutobi kept his composure, barely. He drew in a quick breath and his body tensed to avoid an incoming shiver. He could not imagine the implications such a thing would have. On the village. Hell, on all the shinobi nations. Let alone Naruto.

Thank fucking kami Jiraiya was around.

That thought calmed the old Hokage's mind enough for him to give Kakashi a hesitant nod, puffing on his pipe again for reassurance. "Well, we were concerned about that possibility before..."

"I don't think you understand," Kakashi said. His voice had an edge to it. If it had been any other ninja in the village Sarutobi would have called it fear. But he knew Kakashi. Hatake Kakashi did not know fear.

"Tell me."

"It was just like that day. The chakra..." Kakashi hesitated for a moment. As if he were wrestling with his own words, "By the time I got there it was too late. Naruto had annihilated Zabuza's apprentice. The body was barely recognizable."

Sarutobi took that in. It would explain Naruto's unusually quiet demeanor. He silently wondered just how the boy was taking the repercussions of his actions. First kills tended to be rough, and this particular instance sounded brutal.

"When I came up to him it wasn't Naruto." Kakashi continued, making eye contact with Sarutobi. His voice terse. "It was the Kyubi, Sarutobi. There's no doubt in my mind. Not only that, there were some developments with the Shikotsumyaku as well."

The use of his actual name took the Hokage by surprise. Kakashi never called him by his clan name. The gravity of Kakashi's words sunk in, and Sarutobi raised an eyebrow in question.

"We had another minor encounter with other ninja," Kakashi explained, "Two missing nin ambushed us on the way. I... well, I didn't intervene," The silver haired jounin looked a bit sheepish at that, "I wanted to see how the team would handle it, which they did exceptionally well. But, Naruto made contact with the chin of one of them and damn near killed him. Snapped his neck instantly with just a punch."

"Also," he added, "After I felt the Kyubi's chakra on the bridge, I came as fast as I could. When I got there, the place was a boneyard, and Naruto... The Shikotsumyaku was active. He was covered."

Sarutobi nodded slowly. It was a lot to take in. "Any other casualties?"

Kakashi seemed to have quick debate with himself before he confirmed, "The drug lord Gato showed up with his gang after all of the commotion. I... put him down."

For the first time in the conversation, Sarutobi raised an eyebrow. "That's against protocol, Kakashi."

"You'll have to forgive me Hokage-sama," Kakashi deadpanned.

"Understandable."

* * *

Naruto did not go to rest.

Needless to say, he had a bit on his mind. He hadn't slept much on the trip back. The tossing and turning did little to improve his mood, yet he wasn't the slightest bit tired.

So he went to train.

Well, to be honest, it was more like bloodying his knuckles on any poor tree that happened to look at him in a manner that he didn't enjoy. Which was all of them.

"Argh!" He grunted, pulling his fist from the trunk of a large spruce only to splinter it further with his right knee. An earsplitting crack resounded across the training ground as the timber split and crashed down in front of him. He proceed to pound at the bark, loosing all semblance of taijutsu. He brawled the felled tree until his breath was exhausted and steam rolled off of his body in waves.

He collapsed to the ground and buried his face in his bruised hands.

"Idiot," he muttered quietly. "It didn't have to be this way..."

A familiar cough from behind him caught his attention.

"Are you finished?" Kimimaro asked dryly.

Naruto didn't turn around. He was not ready to deal with that prick at the moment. Just his luck. "How'd you find me?"

He could practically see his brother's condescending smirk from behind his back.

"It wasn't too hard."

Naruto raised his head from his arms to glance around the massacred training ground. Dummies lay in pieces around him with discarded kunai. Splintered trees were scattered in a random pattern across the clearing.

He had a point.

With a scoff Naruto stood and turned to face the man who had seemed to turn his world upon itself since the day he had appeared in the woods nearly three weeks prior. Kimimaro stood a few paces away, dressed in standard jounin garb he must have stumbled upon while Naruto was on his mission. He was leaning on one leg with his usual laid back swagger, gazing upon Naruto with a look somewhere between interested and indifferent.

"So," Kimimaro smirked, "The mission went well?"

"Fuck off." The disgruntled genin spat, "Just leave me alone, won't you?"

Kimimaro seemed to get some enjoyment out of that statement but remained silent. They stood there for a long few moments, the only sounds shared between them being a few short coughing bouts from the older Kaguya.

Naruto scowled for as long as he could, but soon he was tired of that too, and he fell back to the ground in a huff. He shook his head in frustration before he looked up at the sky. It was a beautiful day. Not a cloud to be seen.

"Have you ever killed somebody?" He asked. Quietly, barely above a whisper.

Kimimaro's dry look was unaffected by the sudden question. "Of course," He said obviously. "I'm a ninja. That's what I am best at."

Naruto scoffed. That was about what he had been expecting from his older sibling. Psh, sibling. He wondered how in the hell himself and this person... this monster in front of him could possibly share anything but a mother.

_**Hahahaha.**_ _An evil laugh resounded in his memory, along with shattered images. Blood. Fury. A __mangled frame clenched in his very hands._

Perhaps he wasn't so different after all, he thought in disgust.

"Guess I'm just late to the party," Naruto spoke in contempt. He swore his hand were still tinted red. Then he realized they were, because he had just beat the shit out of them on everything in sight.

Kimimaro did raise an eyebrow at that statement, and then for the first time Naruto thought he saw a flash of understanding in those dull gray eyes, before it was snuffed out by an excited glint.

The white haired ninja took a step forward, a ghastly grimace upon his face that nearly resembled a smile. "How was it?" He asked, peering down on Naruto anxiously, "Was it an honorable opponent?"

"Didn't you hear me?" Naruto stood, finding his anger once again. "I _fucking_ killed somebody!" He spat, "In cold blood. I didn't stop when I had obviously won, I didn't even goddamn hesitate."

Now that he had started talking, he couldn't stop. It was as if all of the pent up anger and fear and self-loathing and pity were overflowing out of his lips.

"All I saw was blood. And that was all I wanted. I wanted to kill him, it wasn't an accident. I beat him, and then I didn't stop. I smashed his head into fucking pudding." He raged, "I could have never done it either, if it wasn't for this stupid fucking _bloodline_, and this fucking monster in my stomach. That kid was my age, I had no right, he didn't deserve—"

Naruto's rant was cut to an abrupt halt as Kimimaro strode forward and planted his fist into his gut. His breath left him instantly and tears bit at his eyes as he fell to the ground that he was becoming so well acquainted with.

His pain was very quickly replaced with white-hot anger and as soon as air returned to his lungs he leaped to his feet and charged Kimimaro with blood boiling and spots in his eyes.

He swung his fist in a hay maker, aiming to wipe the smirk off of Kimimaro's face. Of course, he was stopped mid swing as Kimimaro caught his arm. He didn't have anytime to react before Kimimaro swung him bodily over his shoulder and pinned Naruto's chest with a solid knee.

Naruto writhed from his positions, splinters digging into his back. "Get off me!"

His struggling ceased rather quickly as Kimimaro's palm split and his Shikatsumyaku showed itself; as a pointed bone emerged, stopping an inch from from Naruto's forehead. He felt fresh blood dripping onto his scalp as Kimimaro brought his head down until he was face to face with his younger brother—bone blade unwavering.

"Now," Kimimaro spoke lowly, in a dangerous tone. "Let me educate you on ninja; that is what you _claim_ to be isn't it?"

Naruto swallowed quietly, not daring to nod.

"Ninja," Kimimaro nearly spat, "Kill. That is our purpose. Don't you get it? You kill, you live. You don't, you die. There is no time for—for _sympathy_," He dug his knee roughly into Naruto's chest, "I will not have my own blood disgraced by your sniveling. As soon as you put on that hitai-ate you gave up those weaknesses."

Kimimaro's eyes seemed to burn holes into Naruto's own. The knee in his chest kept the breath from any possible responses he may have had. So he lay there, pinned, as his brother's volatile words spread over him like flames, making his body burn as they sunk in.

"You should be ashamed," Kimimaro's ghastly voice cut in again, "For corrupting the name of your first kill by blubbering like trash. That ninja didn't deserve it; didn't deserve your damned pity. Didn't deserve to be dishonored by the one who took his life."

Those last words cut as deep as any kunai. It laid waste to all the stubborn pride Naruto had left, and deadened his objections before they reached his throat.

Kimimaro was right, he realized solemnly. Haku was a ninja, a strong ninja. He had his own purpose that he had been fighting for. He would be sickened to see Naruto here, pitying himself over what had to be done.

_What had to be done._

Those words rang a toll in his head.

"You're right.." He said quietly, meeting Kimimaro's gray steely gaze. His older brother nodded matter of factly and stood, relinquishing his Shikatsumyaku and allowing Naruto to get up.

The duo remained silent for another long period. Kimimaro gazing with the same stoic detachment as always, Naruto attempting to pull himself together from his tiresome experiences. He rubbed his sore chest and finally trusting himself to speak cast his mentor a questioning stare.

"How did your first go?" He asked, not sure if he wanted to know the answer.

Kimimaro shot him a surprised look that was oddly placed considering his usual cool composure. It only lasted a moment before he reigned himself in. He turned and gave Naruto a sidelong glance before he broke into a fit of coughs. He spat and wiped his mouth before he replied in an even tone, "It isn't only the demon. That fills you with the urge," He clarified, flexing his hands, "The Shikatsumyaku is the most powerful of bloodlimits; that is why it was graced upon the Kaguya, the strongest of clans."

Naruto let the pause hang in the air, not daring to interrupt.

"It is the perfect shinobi tool, so it adapts its users into just that—perfect shinobi." He continued, "With its power comes a craving for blood that made my... our clan feared in all the great nations. The more you use it, the stronger the urge for battle boils in your blood. That drive to be the victor, to be the one standing, the strongest, all of it. It has drove many to insanity. It is not for the weak of mind."

"We are killers Naruto," His gaze cut into the blond almost as much as the fact that it was the first time he had called him by his actual name, "It is what keeps us alive, it is what make us the strongest."

"All that matters about my first kill," Kimimaro continued, "Or any of them after, is that I am here to remember them, and the enemies that had been standing across from me, aren't."

A million stray thoughts raced through Naruto's head, pulling him in every which direction. But there was one voice that was louder than the rest.

"I want to be the strongest," He said out loud, echoing the thought in his head.

Kimimaro nodded slowly, "There will be people that will stand in your way."

Naruto knew what he was saying. He pondered for a few silent seconds, trying to make sense of the turmoil in his mind. But he knew Kimimaro was right.

"Well then," He spoke lowly with shadowed eyes, "If need be... the people in my way... I'll kill them."

The sentence hung around long after it left his lips, transforming the night forest air into an oppressive force on his shoulders. The only response from Kimimaro was the ghost of a smile playing on his lips, and a slight tilt of his head—as if his ears had picked up a sudden tune playing in the woods.

That was the extent of the confrontation, and eventually the two brothers trudged off to Naruto's apartment, the gears in his head still turning. He made the effort to keep his eyes low and dark for Kimimaro, yet in the back of his mind, he wondered if he could make good on his promise.

Either way, he had a feeling the impact that talk at the training grounds would be astronomical.

From the trees, the toad sannin Jiraiya crouched as the two ninja left. Watching on silently.

* * *

_**Three Days Later...**_

"Chuunin exams, what the hell is that, Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi shot Naruto a signature eye grin and held up a finger, "Well if you had given me a second, I was about to tell you."

Naruto leaned forward expectantly, eager to learn more. His anxiousness was mirrored on the face of Sasuke and Sakura. Well, actually the teme was trying not to act interested, while Sakura looked a little worried.

And Kakashi dragging this whole thing out was starting to get on his nerves.

"Ahh, would you tell us already!?"

"Alright, alright," Kakashi soothed, taking on a more serious expression for the moment and surveying his team. "Well, the chuunin exams... decide whether you become a chuunin or not."

"Well duh!"

The jounin ignored Naruto's commentary and continued, "There are three tests that you must pass. The first two are team exercises, while the last is an individual test of your skills head to head with other ninja."

Naruto lit up. He could barely hold in his excitement. Becoming a chuunin was just one step closer to his goal. He couldn't imagine a better surprise. Besides that, he was about fucking sick of the D-ranked missions they had been stuck with since they had returned from Wave.

He glanced to Sasuke, who had similar feelings, the raven haired genin was nearly shaking. The two shared a grin. Since the mission, they had achieved a sort of understanding between one another. Sasuke had risked his life to save him and—though the Uchiha would never admit to it—that had dispelled a lot of the resentment that was left between them.

"Piece of cake as long as the dobe doesn't screw it up for us."

"Kiss my ass, pretty boy."

Okay, the kid was still a prick.

"Now boys," Kakashi chided, "Seeing as this is a team entry, that means it is a team decision." Noticing the blank stares he was getting, the copycat nin sighed and palmed his forehead, "What I'm saying is that there is one more member of this squad that may not be quite as eager as you two are."

Realization struck and Naruto turned to Sakura, his actions were mimicked by both Kakashi and Sasuke. The pink haired genin was fiddling her thumbs with wide eyes after noticing all of the attention suddenly on her.

"Uh..." She hesitated, looking to Kakashi for assistance. The jounin simply grinned and remained silent. Sakura sighed and looked from Naruto to Sasuke and back. "I can't very well hold you two back now can I." She concluded in a defeated tone, "I guess I'm in."

"Yeah!" Naruto beamed and gave Sakura a playful punch to the arm. A mistake. She hit him back, several times, not playfully.

"So it's settled then. Good." Kakashi said, "You'll notice that there will be a lot of genin from other nations in town soon, the exams are a pretty big deal. I know you guys haven't gotten much down time since the big mission, so take the next few days off to prepare. I'll see you all then."

With that the sensei of team 7 gave his squad a salute, before disappearing in a gust of leaves.

"So cool..." Naruto muttered to himself. He wished his team a brief goodbye and took off, ambling towards the one place in the world he wanted to be.

Since his.. talk.. with Kimimaro, the training had been upped quite a bit. It could just have been the fact that he had been gone for a while, but his older brother seemed to have a lot more pent up frustration than usual. They had been focusing a lot less on the normal technicalities and forms and techniques and more on sparring. Which was a fancy way of saying, "Let's be an asshole and beat up on Naruto."

Naruto chuckled to himself at the thought. It wasn't all that bad. He had been learning quite a bit. And the daily beat downs were becoming less and less severe as he picked up how to utilize the Shikatsumyaku and chakra control that Kimimaro had taught him so far in an actual fight.

God he wished the bloodlimit didn't have to hurt so damn bad.

He continued to ponder his training and the upcoming chuunin exams as he weaved through the streets of Konoha, and before he knew it he was walking into Ichiraku's.

The blonde plopped down at the bar and grinned at Teuchi. "Hiyah old fart! Miss me?"

"Well of course! I'm surprised we haven't gone out of business you've been gone for so long" The old ramen chef beamed from behind the counter as he washed a bowl clean.

"You know me, just off doing top secret ninja stuff!" Naruto boasted, crossing his arms. His impressive pose was interrupted by an angry growl from his stomach, "Er, think I could get a bowl of miso?" He asked sheepishly/

"Only the best for you." Teuchi replied with a smile, before shouting to the back of the stand, "Ayame! Get out here with a bowl of miso ramen asap, our favorite customer is back!"

The redhead emerged from the door to the kitchen moments later as asked, carrying a large bowl of steaming hot noodles. She smiled at Naruto as the blond nearly drooled all over the store. "We missed you Naruto, stop being such a stranger."

Before she finished setting the bowl down Naruto had dove in, filling his mouth with a ridiculous amount of boiling hot ramen without anything more than a hum of pleasure. He gave Ayame and Teuchi a thumbs up, "Keep 'em comin!"

Around five minutes later, Naruto was busy compiling an impressive amount of empty ramen dishes when loud footsteps a familiar boisterous voice reached his ears. He groaned.

"BOSS!"

"What do you want Konohamaru?"

If his number one fan had heard him, he didn't show it, as he strutted up to Naruto shaking his head. "You're getting so predictable, I _knew_ I would find you here when you got back from your big mission!" The pint sized ninja grinned, "Just goes to show that I—whoa," Konohamaru blinked at Naruto suddenly, "What the hell is up with your clothes boss? And that hair?"

Naruto rubbed his head in annoyance. This was just what he needed. Not. "None of your business Konohamaru, can't you go harass the closet pervert or something?"

"Ugh, no," Konohamaru replied, disappointed, "Ebisu got called to duty on some stupid patrol or somethin'."

"Too bad, looks like I'm stuck with you huh?" At Konohamaru's eager nodding he groaned again, "Did you at least get my awesome technique down yet?"

"Psh, too easy boss." The hokage's grandson scoffed and made a quick hand signal, "Oiroke no jutsu!"

In a puff of smoke Konohamaru was gone and in his place stood a beautiful brunette woman. She stood hunched over with her hips out and her back to Naruto, shooting him a wink over her shoulder as she wiggled her rear end.

"Hmm, not bad.." Naruto admitted, nodding approvingly.

"What!?—Eh..." There was suddenly a loud crash and Naruto and the transformed Konohamaru turned to see Teuchi complete his fall, landing on his back with a hearty thump. Ramen noodles and dishes clanged to the floor in ear-ringing fashion. The old ramen chef's eye twitch as blood dripped out of his nose and onto the floor.

"What is all that racket?" Ayame's outcry from the kitchen prompted Konohamaru to promptly cancel the henge. With a poof he was back to his normal form, not a second before Ayame swung the door open with a gasp as she saw her father on the floor. "Daddy? What's going on?"

"Uhh," Naruto scratched the back of his head and laughed nervously, "Ayame, your dad just slipped out of no where, I think maybe the floor is wet from the mop."

"I haven't cleaned the floor for hours."

"Ah well anyway, gotta go!" Naruto chirped, ignoring Ayame's questioning stare, plopping a fat wad of ryo on the counter and nearly dashing out of the ramen stand, dragging Konohamaru behind him.

"Phew," Konohamaru panted as they stopped in the street a few paces from the stand, "That was a close one boss."

Naruto laughed out loud, slapping his disciple on the back. "Hey good job, kid. You've still got a ways to go before you get to my level, but maybe someday. If I ever get tired of being Hokage when I'm older I'll be sure to give you a call." The blond smiled cheekily.

Before Konohamaru could get out his indignant response, a shouting voice caught the duo's attention.

"We're supposed to be training, _trash!_"

Naruto realized he had been mistaken earlier. Konohamaru was only the second to last person he wanted to talk to. The last was storming down the road after him now, white hair tossing in the wind, eyes stormy and dangerous.

"Ah shit."

Naruto did what any rational human being would have done in his situation.

He shoved Konohamaru to the ground and ran for his life.

* * *

It didn't take Kimimaro long to catch him.

_Bastard_, Naruto griped silently as he rubbed the growing lump on his head as he followed his brother through the woods to their usual training ground. He pushed through the last patch of brush to the clearing and squinted as the sun blinded him.

He should have expected the blow that knocked him on his ass.

"Goddammit!" He yelled stomping to his feet, "What's your deal?"

Kimimaro simply coughed and grinned, "You still leave yourself open far too often. I'm going to break you of that."

Naruto growled. It had been like this since they had resumed training two days prior. Kimimaro would randomly pick times to beat the shit out of him for no reason. It was brutal, and if it wasn't for his accelerated healing he would have been bedridden by now.

"Now," Kimimaro started, settling back into a relaxed taijutsu stance, sliding his right foot back behind him slowly to center his gravity. "Try it again. Maybe you'll be man enough to stay conscious this time."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "It fuckin' hurts..." He complained, before he took a smooth inhale, to prepare himself for the pain he was about to put himself through, again.

"Remember, palm, elbow—"

"Ribs, knee, yeah, yeah.." Naruto waved him off, ignoring Kimimaro's put off expression at being interrupted.

"Get to it then."

Naruto left the words at then and shuffled forward quickly in the routine Kimimaro had taught him, feinting with his shoulders to the left, before shooting his right arm toward his brother's head. Before contact he opened up his palm and summoned up his chakra, reaching deep for the power of Shikatsumyaku

He did his best to ignore the familiar pain as his hand split and his _Koukotsu Heijin_ shot from his arm. Kimimaro ducked the blow fluidly, and Naruto followed up with an elbow drop, expanding his ulna from the bottom of his forearm with a squelch of tearing skin.

Kimimaro knocked it aside and Naruto grimaced internally as he braced himself for the next part of the exercise. With a quick focus of chakra he could have never pulled off weeks earlier, he balled energy in his chest, and with the release, a rib from each side of his abdomen extended from his gut. He gasped as burning agony flooded his senses. He grit his teeth as his pseudo sensei sidestepped at the last second, avoiding impalement by millimeters.

The ex-sound ninja gave Naruto an extra shot of pain as he retaliated by palming him in the sternum, forcing painful air out of his lungs and and knocking him off balance. Naruto flowed with the momentum and swung upwards with his knee to finish the last step of the dance. From his kneecap flashed white, as his fibula exploded from the tissue with lightening speed.

Kimimaro's eyes widened and his head snapped back. He caught the bone an inch from his chin with his bare hands, spilling blood from the sharpened edges signature of the Shikotsumyaku. It didn't seem to faze him as he held Naruto immobilized for a moment.

"Better," He grunted, before spilling his younger brother to the ground.

Naruto stifled a scream as the suppressed pain hit him full force. His eyes spun in his head as a spell of dizziness hit him. Kimimaro simply observed as he lay there, Shikotsumyaku still active, making him look like a human pincushion.

Now the fun part, he thought sarcastically as he mustered himself to focus his chakra once again, recalling the exposed parts of his skeleton back to their resting place. The chalky white bones slid reluctantly back into his body as his skin melded back together, nearly making him shiver at the feeling. He wasn't sure he would ever get over the creepiness of his bloodlimit.

Panting, he rose to a knee, groaning as he examined the holes and bloodstains in his garb. So much for his new outfit. Since his impulsive stop at Ino's family store he had burned through six of the seven pairs she had given him. At this rate he was going to go broke simply buying clothes.

Though he wouldn't mind stopping in again, he pondered absent mindedly for a moment, remembering the last time. He wondered how Ino was doing anyway...

His musings were cut short as Kimimaro grabbed him roughly by the scruff of his neck, pulling him to his feet. Naruto gave him a glare as he attempted to gain his balance on shaky legs.

"You still need better chakra control," the older shinobi critiqued, "The activation is still pathetically slow. And you cannot allow yourself to become immobilized every time you use it."

Naruto stepped away, gaining some space, half expecting another attack while he was winded, "How the hell am I supposed to get over that?" He gasped.

Kimimaro shrugged, "Real shinobi don't have a pain threshold." He said plainly.

_So grow a pair_, Naruto paraphrased in his head.

"Again."

"Seriously?" Naruto blinked, hoping it was a joke. He knew the answer before those gray eyes shot him a look that would have made a grown man cower.

But he was used to that by now.

This time he did pass out, though only for a moment. The knee was the most painful place to activate the Shikotsumyaku, and it was almost always the point that did him in. He awoke—unsurprising—on his back in the dirt, his fibula half exposed from the flesh of his leg, and Kimimaro shaking his head above.

With a quick dismissal of his bloodlimit, which lessened the searing pain to a dull burn beneath his skin, he stood. He grasped his forehead as a headache assaulted him; a common occurrence as of late.

"Will better chakra control make it easier?" He groaned hopefully.

Kimimaro coughed. "No."

"Of course not..." Naruto sighed, knowing it was no use to complain anymore. Kimimaro's training was as brutal as it was unrelenting, he never let him off easy.

He silently waited further instruction as he wondered just how long it took Kimimaro to master the Shikatsumyaku. Probably a day. Hell, it was hard for Naruto to imagine the man in front of him ever experiencing pain.

Or joy, for that matter. Kimimaro seriously needed to get laid, Naruto thought with a small grin.

"Chakra control will help you form your weapons," Kimimaro expanded after his silence, oblivious to Naruto's inner rambling, "The more effective your control, the more you can shape the bone to fit the situation. Precision edges for quick kills, serrated for incapacitation." The white haired shinobi seemed to grin at that point.

"Yeah, I don't see that happening any time soon." Naruto said dryly.

"Actually," And this time he was definitely grinning, "That's our next exercise."

* * *

Many sweaty, painful hours later, Kimimaro decided enough was enough. Naruto was staggering on his feet and the amount of blood stained into the grass could make a grown man queasy.

"Alright, we're done." He said simply, coughing despicably into the nook of his arm before gesturing for the younger ninja to leave. "Get out of here."

"Thank god..." The brat mumbled under his breath, before gathering his pack and his torn, discarded clothes.

Kimimaro took in his handiwork with a grin. He would admit, he didn't go easy today. His original plan was to train until the delinquent passed out. When that didn't happen though, well even he got tired of watching Naruto struggle. His younger... person—he still had not come to adore the term _brother_—was covered from head to toe in scratches, cuts, bruises. His clothes were all but destroyed, tattered with holes from random skeletal parts stabbing through them all afternoon.

It was quite the sight.

Kimimaro felt a foreign feeling rise up in his gut. The little shit had done well today. He found that it had become harder to openly regard Naruto as trash as of late. He had handled the brutal exercises Kimimaro had thrown at him in a respectable fashion. Better than most at least.

The ex-sound ninja caught himself as he realized just exactly where his thoughts were leading and shoved them back down with disgust.

"Back here at noon tomorrow," He demanded to Naruto's back as his sibling began to trot off the clearing. He gave a wave behind his head in response. Kimimaro, for good measure, added, "Don't be late, trash."

He was not going soft.

An eruption of coughs overtook him and for the millionth time he cursed his weakened body. The fits always came to remind him of how quickly he was declining. His condition was worsening much faster now that he was no longer under Orochimaru's care, he had realized soon after leaving. Apparently those useless medics had been doing something.

As he gasped to regain his breath he pondered how much longer he could maintain a respectable image in public. The fits were becoming more frequent, and much harsher. Soon he would be weak enough that even the local buffoons around the village would realize.

Kimimaro knew enough about his general reputation around the village that it would not be a good idea for him to show any weakness.

Regaining his composure, he began the trek back to the apartment the Hokage had supplied him with. Passing through the training ground, and the bulk of Konoha's business district. He cursed the uncomfortable amount of people once again as he did so. Luckily, the sun was already setting and the commotion was dying down or he may have had to put down a villager or two.

Thirty minutes later with no harm done except a few frustrated ticks on his brow, he had arrived. Going into the building and stomping up the stairs he fished out a single key from his new shinobi vest and swung open the door to his room.

Kimimaro walked to the sink to cleanse his sore throat when he recognized a presence from behind him. "So," He asked, "How was the babysitting today?"

Jiraiya grunted from the single couch in the living room. Kimimaro didn't bother turning around, or asking how he had gotten into the room. The man was a sannin after all.

"Little rough for some everyday training don't you think?"

"No," He tried not to audibly growl at the question, and took another drink of water to calm himself. "The boy isn't like every other piece of garbage laying around this place."

"Luckily." Jiraiya said dryly, leaning back into the sofa and crossing his arms nonchalantly. "He lost enough blood today to drown a cow."

Kimimaro swallowed the last of his water and the glare he was tempted to give the sannin. Of all the people in the village, the last thing he wanted was fucking Jiraiya on the wrong side of him. Still, he did not like being questioned. Or watched all day to make sure he was playing nice with his little brother. He wouldn't pretend he enjoyed it either.

"I came here to train the brat." He said simply, biting out the words. "That's what I'm doing. Maybe you think you would have a better understanding of how to teach him to use the most deadly bloodline known to the shinobi nations?"

Jiraiya shot him a raised eyebrow, before shrugging. "Debatable," He said, and this time his comment did draw a glare. The old sannin simply grinned at the look and stood. "But don't get me wrong, I think you're doing fine. The boy needs a push, and Kami knows he's not going to get it from Hatake."

Kimimaro nodded at the compliment as Jiraiya came forward. The older ninja had a friendly grin on his face and he realized that the fucker had just been trying to provoke him.

"Just came by to give you a hard time," The super pervert gave Kimimaro a rough pat on the back as he made his way to the door, once again drawing a dirty look. His smile simply widened though as he moved to walk out. "Try not to kill the kid, eh? I'll be watching."

Kimimaro grunted in response, annoyed at the man's careless demeanor. He did not enjoy being messed with, and he was not used to people being daring enough to try. Usually he'd kill them.

Honestly how could such an imbecile be one of the three most powerful ninja in existence? Orochimaru and Tsunade were nothing like...

Tsunade.

_Jiraiya was a colleague of the great Tsunade... He may even have an idea about your condition, eh?_

Sarutobi's words from days before rang like a bell in his head and before he realized it, Kimimaro's lips had moved on their own, "Wait."

Jiraiya's bushy head poked itself back into the room with a questioning glance, "Hm?"

Kimimaro took a moment to gather himself before he looked the sannin in the eye. "I'm dying." He said evenly. No words were needed beyond that. The statement was a question in itself and understanding lit Jiraiya's eyes.

The sannin nodded. "I'll see what I can do." He said sincerely.

And then he was gone.

* * *

Naruto was planning on heading home, he really was.

But instead, he found himself wandering. His exhaustion from the days training was present and intensely so, yet his overactive brain was buzzing and he knew he would never be able to get to sleep if he went back to his apartment now.

So instead he strolled around town aimlessly, hands in his pockets, ignoring the confused stares of the townspeople as they took in his new appearance. He'd been getting weird looks ever since he'd trashed his signature orange jumpsuit. It even took some people a moment to recognize him.

Oh yeah, he forgot he was covered in tears and blood. Right, that might have something to do with the looks he was getting on this cool afternoon.

Shaking his head at his ruined outfit he pondered the days work. His _Koukotsu Heijin _was just about the only form of the Shikatsumyaku that he could consistently use. The chakra control required to fully expand his use of the bloodlimit was far out of his reach at this point, but calling out his ulna was becoming routine.

Kimimaro was not lying though, the pain never lessened. Naruto had gotten used to the feeling of a katana being shoved forcefully out of his palm or forearm. It was far from pleasant, but finally he could bear it without feeling dizzy or wanting to fall over. The same feeling in his kneecap or ribcage was a different story.

It was frustrating beyond belief.

For once in his life, it wasn't that there was no one willing to teach him. He had a real shinobi, a blood relative for christ sake, ready to beat the shit out of him and train him and do whatever it took to make him stronger. And he was being held back because he couldn't handle a little pain.

Okay, it was excruciating, but still.

_A true shinobi knows no pain._

He sighed. If Kimimaro was right about that, then it was going to take him a while before he was a real shinobi.

On the bright side, he had managed to sharpen his _Koukotsu_ using chakra. It took him like a million attempts, sure, but even Kimimaro had shown a flash of surprise when his Shikatsumyaku shone a light blue color and shaped itself into a fine edge. It wasn't perfect, as his pseudo sensei was quick to point out. The edge could be sharper and it took him too long to contort the shape to his will.

Coming from Kimimaro, that may as well have been a congratulatory kiss.

He chuckled to himself.

"Naruto?"

A familiar voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Huh," Naruto blinked as he snapped back into reality and refocused on his surroundings. He realized with a start that he had walked clear across town. He was getting close to the outer wall of town now and a groan escaped his lips as it occurred to him how far he had gone from his home.

Even more surprising was the blonde standing in front of him, hands on hips, eyebrow raised.

"Ino?"

"You know," The kunoichi said, touching her finger to her chin and giving him a sly grin. "If I didn't know better I would say you've been stalking me Naruto."

"What?" Naruto asked, baffled. "I haven't seen you since before I left on my mission like three weeks ago!"

"True, but you've walked outside of the store the last three nights right as I'm closing." Ino said simply. "I'm starting to wonder..."

Naruto blanked. "Uh, really?"

"Really." Ino confirmed with a nod. She took an appraising look of him suddenly. "Hey, you look like hell. Did you go and ruin the outfit I picked out for you already?"

A sheepish shrug and a foxy grin was her response. Naruto couldn't help but feel a bit bold at the sudden familiarity he was sharing with his genin classmate at the moment. Ah, what the hell.

"Hey, you look like crap too, Ino." He said, his grin shaping into a mischievous smirk.

The blonde kunoichi laughed. Which was a relief, because he suddenly got the feeling that if this had been two months ago, she would have pounded him for his joking.

"So what are you doing out and about so late anyway?" She asked, as she turned to the building behind her and shuffled through a handful of keys.

Naruto scratched his head, "Well, I got done training a while ago and just felt like going for a walk. Don't worry, I've still got a fresh pair of clothes left." He added, "I am going to have to come back and restock soon though..?"

He let the question hang in the air. He didn't want to assume anything. Too many stores had thrown him out on his ass for that. Even if she was being strangely nice lately, Naruto had no idea who Ino's parents were, or how they felt about him. Or rather, what was in him.

"Ah," Ino finished locking up the store, and turned to him. "Definitely! God, you can _not_ go back to wearing orange Naruto. My eyes still hurt from looking at that thing."

"Hey, it wasn't that bad..." Naruto huffed, crossing his arms.

"Yes it was." Ino said matter of factly. She looked up to the sky and sighed, "Well, it's getting dark, I better head home. Next time don't be such a stranger and come inside the store, okay?"

"Deal." Naruto answered.

Ino gave him an odd look for a moment, like she was waiting for something else. Naruto couldn't place what it was in that brief moment and before he knew it she gave him a quick wave and turned down the street.

Naruto frowned at the sudden change in mood the conversation had taken. Hell, not even the conversation, just that last second of eye contact left him with an unsettled feeling. He did not like it.

He stared at her back for a few moments before an inkling creeped into his mind. He pondered for a second, but hell he'd been feeling bold all day, he wasn't about to stop now.

"Ino!" He called, jogging to catch up, suddenly not wanting to look over eager. The blond turned to him and caught him with big eyes. For once, she was wordless, and just gazed at him expectantly with those sky blue eyes.

The warm lump in his throat told him he liked that. But it also made a sentence hard to get out.

"Uh.. do you... can I..." He cursed himself for stumbling over his words. He took a deep breath to calm himself and said, "I'm going to walk you home."

She smiled.

"Okay."

**A/N: **I know, I know, having an author's note before and after is overkill, get over it. Hope you all like the chapter. It was hell to get through. Lots of teasers, I know you all love those. Don't worry, the whole damn thing is about to get rolling. The Chuunin exams are going to be a lot of fun.

Oh, and it's becoming pretty obvious that there's some Ino/Naruto feelings floating around. Will it go anywhere? Couldn't tell ya. I hadn't planned on it, but I started writing and it just started happening and I wasn't sure... who am I kidding, it was completely consensual.

As always, questions and comments are much appreciated.

alterego94


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